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Team India is ready to take on South Africa in the five-match T20I series to prepare for the mega event. Selectors have shown trust in several players who impressed everyone with their performance in the recently concluded Indian Premier League. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been trusted as captain and vice-captain, respectively, for the upcoming bilateral home series.
Ahead of the first T20I of IND vs SA series, former head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed his playing XI for the match and shockingly omitted veteran wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik. While speaking at Star Sports' show Game Plan, Shastri claimed that management would look to prioritize youngsters instead of going for veterans. "KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad should open the innings, and Ishan at number three," he said.
Notably, Shastri was one of the supporters of Karthik during IPL 2022 and backed him on several occasions for T20 World Cup 2022. Although. Shastri omitted Karthik from the India vs South Africa first match but supported him for the other games and said that selectors must go for Karthik as he can do decent wicket-keeping and the finishers' job role, which is vacant since Dhoni retired from the game.
"You have to see from the team's point of view, what are they looking for? Do they want a keeper who will bat at the top of the order or a keeper who will be the finisher? I will go for the latter. It would be best to have a keeper who would do MS Dhoni's role. Let's put it that way", Ravi Shastri feels Karthik might fit in the role of a finisher," he added.
Shastri has opted for Shreyas at No. 4, Pant at No. 5, and Hardik at No. 6 but didn't get a chance to inform Dinesh Karthik, who rose to fame during his IPL 2022 stint. Notably, Karthik, who missed competitive cricket before coming to the domestic tournament, emerged as one of the trusted finishers for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Hence, he earned a national call for the bilateral series (IND vs SA).