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With just a few months left for the 2022 T20 World Cup, India have already started picking players who will be on the flight to Australia. While there are a few certain names like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul, there are also a few players in the fray of getting a chance. Dinesh Karthik is one such name that has popped up in everyone’s head after his impressive run in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Karthik has also made a comeback into the national side. He is currently a part of the 5-match T20I series against South Africa and has looked decent so far. With India feeling the need for a finisher, Dinesh Karthik is certainly in contention, looking at his prowess with the bat in the end overs. However, Gautam Gambhir thinks Karthik will not be included in India’s squad for the World Cup considering his age.
The former India opener has said that he would not consider including Karthik in the T20 World Cup squad and would rather prefer someone young. “Too early to say. T20 World Cup is far ahead. He needs to consistently perform till then. But if he wants to bat only in the last three overs, things could get tough. India will definitely be looking at someone in the top 7 who can bowl and if Axar is batting at 7, the team would be a batter short,” explained Gambhir.
"In such a case, I would not have him (Karthik) in the World Cup Squad. I would definitely have people like Rishabh Pant, and Deepak Hooda (in the team). We have got KL Rahul, we've got Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma. Once they come back, it's going to be tough for Dinesh Karthik to find a place in the playing XI. If he doesn't have a place in the playing XI, there's no point giving him a place in the squad,” Gautam Gambhir added.