He can go gung-ho in the powerplay: Dinesh Karthik explains why Rishabh Pant should open in T20Is

Senior India wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik has urged the Indian team management to let Rishabh Pant open in T20Is. Pant found himself below Karthi in the pecking order in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2022 where he managed to play only two matches after warming the bench for the most part of the tournament.

Pant was touted as one of the future stars of Indian cricket when he first broke into the scene. His ability to take down any bowler on his day and his aggressive brand of cricket saw Pant being touted as India's first-choice keeper across all three formats.

While he has managed to prove his credentials in Test cricket with some heroic knocks for India, Pant's form in T20Is has been far from good. Despite possessing the natural ability to strike the ball well, Pant has struggled to play his game in the shortest format at the international level.

The lack of clarity when it comes to his role in the T20 team has also not helped Pant's cause when playing for India. He has not managed to nail down a spot in India's batting line-up and as a result, has been in and out of the T20 team over the last year. While he has been used majorly in the middle order by India, Karthik believes Pant can do wonders at the top.

"We know one thing for sure, Rishabh Pant's ability to play shots. And when the field is up, he can go gung-ho in the powerplay so we can give him the opportunity to open. Interestingly, stats also reflect that his strike rate is highest when he opens. He likes the field up, he likes to take on bowlers and put them under pressure," Karthik told Cricbuzz.

"I think it will be very interesting to see where they bat Rishabh Pant. Big question for Team India is how they will be using Rishabh Pant and I think we will be seeing him at the top of the order and trying to give him enough balls to showcase his skills. He is second to none when it comes to stroke play and has baffled a lot of international bowlers of high pedigree. We need to embrace the fact that there will be a few failures from him, but when he gets going, he is a terrific player to watch," he added.

Karthik was nowhere in the reckoning for a spot in India's squad for T20 World Cup 2022 a few months back. However, he made a strong comeback with a stellar campaign in IPL 2022 followed by some match-winning cameos as a finisher for India. His heroics saw him pip Pant to be India's first-choice keeper for the T20 World Cup.

However, Karthik failed to justify the faith shown in him and couldn't deliver with the bat. While he is unlikely to remain in the scheme of things in T20Is for India, the 37-year-old wants India to give Pant time in the shortest format and figure out his role in the team.

"I think Rishabh Pant has sealed his spot in Test cricket and to a large extent in ODI cricket as well. In T20s, he bats in a different position for his franchise and comes in a different spot in the Indian team and they are trying to figure out where to fit him," Karthik explained.