India vs Australia: Sunil Gavaskar disappointed with Dinesh Karthik’s exclusion from ODI series

Dinesh Karthik’s exclusion from the Indian ODI squad against Australia raised several eyebrows. Karthik, who has taken up the role of a finisher in the team, deserved to retain his place, argue many. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has also joined the bandwagon and has come against Karthik’s exclusion, saying it is surprising.

Ever since the Champions Trophy in 2017, the Tamil Nadu and Kolkata Knight Riders captain has been in good touch. The finisher has eight not outs under his belt and that is an important argument in support of his seat to England. Gavaskar said that he would pick Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant for the World Cup.

“I have 13 names in my mind who will surely board the flight to England and they are Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav” the former Indian skipper was quoted as saying in an interview with India Today.

“There should be a flexibility in the team. Dinesh Karthik has opened in Test matches in the past so he can do it in ODIs too,” Gavaskar added.

Vijay Shankar – the second-choice all-rounder after Hardik Pandya

He also said that Vijay Shankar is his 14th member in the team and he can come as the second all-rounder after Hardik Pandya. “I think Vijay Shankar can be the 14th player. Seeing the swinging conditions in England, India can play two fast bowling all-rounders. But I am not too very sure of the 15th player,” concluded Gavaskar.

The cut-off date to announce the final World Cup squad is April 23, and thus the home series against Australia will be the last chance for players to prove their mettle. While India’s squad from the New Zealand series looks more or less balanced, India are yet to take a final call on who will bat at the number four batting position. The home series against Australia begins on 24 February, followed by the twelfth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and then the World Cup.

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