Former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator Scott Styris has ruled out the possibility of Dinesh Karthik boarding the flight for T20 World Cup 2024 with Rohit Sharma-led India. Styris said that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter has a zero per cent chance of making it into India's squad as wicketkeeper-batter.
The Ajit Agarkar-led senior selection committee is expected to pick India's T20 World Cup squad later this month. There are a few candidates for the wicketkeeper-batter spot. However, Styris doesn’t’ believe Karthik is the right man for the job despite his strike rate which is nearing 200.
"We were asked in commentary about the wicketkeeping options. Who is in the frontline for that? The question was posed about Dinesh Karthik. I would say there's a slightly above zero per cent chance that Dinesh Karthik goes. Not because of lack of ability or what he has been doing. But it's just about the other options available," Styris told JioCinema.
Styris’ frontrunners for much talked-about spot
Styris said that there is intense competition for the spot. He feels Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul is in the fray too alongside Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant and table-toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson.
"Will it be KL Rahul? Simply because he can cover for the top 3 as well. Then you have Rishabh Pant, who looks to be back into the fold and covers that middle and lower order. He is a left-hander as well. So Sanju Samson is up against those three, the other two plus Dinesh Karthik. It depends on what role you want from Sanju Samson. Is he going to be the top 3 option instead of KL Rahul for Team India? Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid will have to decide it," he added.
Numbers of wicketkeeper spot contenders
Samson is third in the Orange Cap race with 314 runs from eight innings at an average of 62.80. His strike rate is 161.42. He is followed by Rahul who has 286 runs from seven innings at an average of 40.86. The opener's strike rate is 143. Pant has the lowest average of the three at 36.29. He has scored 254 runs from eight games. However, his strike rate of 150.30 is better than Rahul. Karthik is not too far behind either with 251 runs from seven innings at an average of 62.75. His strike rate of 196.09 stands out of the lot.
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