Rishabh Pant can add far more value than Dinesh Karthik: Saba Karim

The exclusion of Rishabh Pant from the Indian playing XI in the first match of the Asia Cup raised a lot of questions. A lot of people wanted Pant to play the crucial match while Rohit Sharma, the captain of the side, decided to try a different formula. Karthik, 37, is in great form lately and his performance in this year's Indian Premier League helped him to find a place instead of Pant in the playing XI.

However, a lot of former cricketers don't agree with this decision. Ajay Jadeja previously spoke on this matter and also Saba Karim previously asked the team management to consider Rishabh Pant ahead of Dinesh Karthik. The team management didn’t do so and thus, the former selector questioned the reason for benching Pant in the previous match against Pakistan.

“Rishabh Pant is such an X factor. He can win you games from situations where the team has got no chance whatsoever. So why would you want to keep someone like Rishabh Pant out of the 11?” asked the 54-year-old while speaking exclusively on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.

To explain why Pant should be selected ahead of Karthik, Saba Karim said, “I was surprised because I do stick to my earlier stand of having Pant in the side in place of Dinesh Karthik because I always felt that we need to look ahead and even now I do believe that Rishabh Pant can add far more value with due respect to Dinesh Karthik than Dinesh Karthik. But there can be possible explanations over there about which one can chat.”

Ravindra Jadeja has become such a mature left-hand batter: Saba Karim

With Dinesh Karthik sealing the spot for the moment, India promoted Ravindra Jadeja up in the order. With Rishabh Pant out of the XI, the team wanted a left-handed batter in the middle and thus, the promotion. Jadeja did justice to his role and built a significant partnership with Hardik Pandya which helped India beat Pakistan by five wickets in their opening fixture.

Following  that, Saba Karim feels that Jadeja now has become a mature batter and with Dinesh Karthik given the role of a finisher, he can be used as a floater in the middle order. 

“I think at least for the Asia cup, the Indian team management seems to have decided to have Dinesh Karthik and that is why they want to utilise Ravindra Jadeja as a floater. So, we saw him going up the order at number 4 in the last outing and we may see that happen more often as the game progresses because Jadeja brings a different kind of dimension. Also, he’s become such a mature left-hand bat who can bat up the order at number 4 or number 5 and if there’s an opportunity, he can also come down the order and score quick runs,” said the former India International.