"Dinesh Karthik was a specialist and by the time the semi-finals came, he was not even part of the playing XI" - Parthiv Patel 

Parthiv Patel recently opined that India need to find the correct combination in the playing XI before the 2024 T20 World Cup. The strategy prior to the 2022 edition Down Under appeared to be one of mix and match, according to Patel.

Given the large pool of talent available to the management, India opted to experiment with several combinations in the build-up process. They locked in on the final jigsaw just a couple of months before the World Cup.

Captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid were keen to play hard-hitting cricket. But that plan backfired as India's top-order, particularly the two openers, took a timid approach to their batting.

India beat Pakistan, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands and Bangladesh Down Under; their only group stage defeat came against South Africa. The other defeat was the fatal knockout blow in the semifinal, where England humbled India by 10 wickets.

Citing the example of Dinesh Karthik as a possible error in team strategy, former Indian wicketkeeper Patel told Cricbuzz:

"Try to identify players maybe slightly earlier and then stick with them till the World Cup ends. Dinesh Karthik was a specialist and by the time the semi-finals came, he was not even part of the playing XI."

Karthik had a brilliant Indian Premier League outing earlier this year, which allowed him to return to the Indian team as a specialist finisher. The Tamil Nadu man was given the top billing in the first team ahead of Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper.

He ended up playing most of the group stage games but was dropped for the crucial semi-final.

"T20 specialists are the need of the hour" - Dinesh Karthik

The T20 format is still relatively new to teams, as compared to the other formats of the game. An important word defining the game is 'clarity.' Given the pace of the game, having focus and a clear vision at all times is crucial to success in the shortest format.

The players in the playing XI should ideally be given a specific role and then backed for a long time, without fear of failure, for them to develop form and confidence in their job.

Speaking on the need of specialists in all formats, Karthik said:

"It's come to a stage where just like Test specialists, T20 specialists are the need of the hour. I think India are adapting well, doing well to embrace that culture. I don't think trying players is resulting in a lack of ICC success, because we did not try it before and we did not have ICC success then as well."

Karthik had words of praise for skipper Sharma as well, saying:

"In many ways, when you have a high-profile tournament like the IPL, with every edition, comes some great performances, and they will throw their hat in the ring. The really good thing about Rohit Sharma and what I really enjoy about him is that clarity."

Karthik added:

"I think he was very sure what he wanted in his team, the personnel and that is a very important attribute to have in this day and age as a captain."

The veteran wicketkeeper is unlikely to be part of India's plans going, given his age. However, Karthik can still make some noise in the IPL, having been retained by RCB for the 2023 edition.

What should Team India's approach be in terms of experimentation in T20 cricket? Let us know what you think.