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Since the time Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant were both named in India's 2022 T20 World Cup squad, a debate has been raging on who should be the Men in Blue's first wicket-keeping option. Rishabh Pant finally got a game in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Against Zimbabwe, Rohit Sharma dropped out-of-form Dinesh Karthik to include Pant in the playing XI on November 6. Pant failed to make the most of the opportunity and got out for a single-digit score. Pant had featured in practice games against Western Australia but failed to score in double digits. He did not get a chance in the warm-up game against Australia.
Karthik himself has struggled in the competition so far. In limited opportunities under immense pressure, the veteran right-hander has failed to produce an innings of substance even once. In three innings, he has aggregated 14 runs at a strike rate of 63.63 and an average of 4.66 while he has hit only one boundary.
While captain Rohit Sharma hinted at persisting with Pant for the semi-final, the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter named his five-player dream T20I team and included two of England's destructive batters.
Pant named Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Jasprit Bumrah, Rashid Khan and himself in the dream T20I team.
"The first five players which I would pick in a T20 XI for my side are Jos Buttler. Whenever he comes to bat, especially in T20s, I feel he can hit anywhere in this world. I love watching Livingstone, the way he has been playing over the last two, three years. Choosing Bumrah, there is never a doubt. You need a fast bowler so I'm going to add Bumrah for that," Pant was quoted saying.
"And Rashid, he's been a mystery spinner over a period of the last six, seven years now. I love him and he can contribute with the bat too. Because I'm choosing this team, I have to be in it. It's compulsory for me to choose myself, that's why I went there," Pant said.
