Reports: Dinesh Karthik to replace Rishabh Pant for the final Test

Team India is gearing up for the final Test against England in London. They have already lost the series but the skipper Virat Kohli and the coach Ravi Shastri have stressed that they won’t throw in the towel and give up. After yet another poor performance from the batsmen, a few changes are certain in the team and it is being emerged that Rishabh Pant might be benched for Dinesh Karthik for the fifth Test.

According to the reports in Times of India, Karthik was seen practising for long with the gloves along with the slip cordon on Wednesday. He was dropped from the team after failing to muster runs at number 6 in the first couple of matches and looked ordinary at times behind the gloves as well. But it seems that the team management is keen on giving him one final chance before the end of the tour.

India’s struggles with wicketkeepers

Due to an injury to Wriddhiman Saha, the preferred wicket-keeper, Team India had to pick Karthik and Pant on this tour. But both of them haven’t been able to make a mark in the four Tests. While the former was a mere casualty with the bat in the first two Tests, the youngster showed promising signs but for only a brief time. But Pant was certainly better and it is expected that he will continue to get more chances in the future.

Karthik had a great chance to revive his Test career in this series but could muster only 21 runs in four innings with a couple of ducks. On the other hand, the left-handed Pant got off the mark in the longest format with a six but then has faded away also bagging a 28-ball duck in the first innings of Southampton Test.

Whoever gets the opportunity, he will have to bat well and lend solidity to Indian batting in the last Test. The wicketkeeping skills of both the players are good and it will be interesting to see who get the nod eventually.

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