"It'll be a toss-up between Gaikwad and Kishan to open the innings" - Dinesh Karthik on India's opening combination 

Wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik feels it would be a tough call between Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad to partner Rohit Sharma in the first T20I against the West Indies. Gaikwad, the IPL 2021 Orange Cap winner, was a late addition to the squad following KL Rahul's injury.

Meanwhile, Kishan made his T20I debut in the home series against England last year, while this is Gaikwad's first call-up to the team. Captain Rohit Sharma will be the other opener as the team explores the right combination before the T20 World Cup later this year.

Praising the depth in the talent pool at the moment, Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz:

"It'll be a toss-up between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan to open the innings along with Rohit. Good opportunities there. Every person there has done very well in the recent past in the IPL and all the domestic cricket. This is a solid team again, 18 member squad; so you know there are a lot of deserving names; we have a very solid side in T20 cricket."

Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan are primed to be Mumbai Indians' new opening pair after Quinton de Kock's departure. The left-right opening pair have opened the innings on sporadic occasions for the national team and franchise cricket.

Meanwhile, Gaikwad's call-up comes on the back of a splendid calendar year. The youngster has amassed runs in the IPL and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to warrant his selection.

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"You will probably end up seeing 15-16 players playing in the T20 series" - Dinesh Karthik

The captain-coach duo of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have laid the stonework for the 2022 T20 World Cup. That started with the 3-0 home series win against New Zealand, where the team experimented across departments, handing debuts to Venkatesh Iyer and Harshal Patel.

Speaking about the Indian team's penchant on experimentation, Karthik said:

"From the looks of it, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid are looking to toss and change, and are completely open to the fact they play as many players as they can. "

Karthik concluded:

"So, you will probably end up seeing 15-16 players playing in the T20 series. They are not too fast about the results, which is a good thing."

The first T20I between India and West Indies will start later tonight (February 16) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.