'I wouldn't have him in India's T20 World Cup squad' - Gautam Gambhir's take on star player's chances

Dinesh Karthik has made a remarkable comeback into the Indian team after the 2019 ODI World Cup. Many had written him off but the veteran keeper-batter produced a sensational performance with the bat for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022 and, hence, earned a recall into the Indian T20I line-up.

Karthik, at 37, is part of the Rishabh Pant-led Indian squad for the ongoing South Africa home T20Is. While he faced only two balls and was unbeaten on 1 in the series opener, Karthik produced another gem of an innings as a finisher when he returned with a 21-ball 30* in the second T20I versus the Proteas in Cuttack on Sunday evening (June 12). Thus, he is now also performing for Team India as he remains in contention to feature in the national side's 2022 T20 World Cup squad.

However, former Indian opener-turned-commentator Gautam Gambhir feels Karthik will find it tough to retain his place once regulars such as KL Rahul, captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and others return.

Speaking on Star Sports' Match Point, Gambhir lauded DK's 2nd T20I heroics and said, "It was very valuable (the knock), he has been doing that for the last 2-3 months for RCB. But, I was a bit amazed that Axar came ahead of Dinesh Karthik. I would've been more happy if he had come ahead of Axar."

"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," he opined.

"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," Gambhir mentioned.

"Once KL, Rohit, Surya and Virat are back, I don't see him in the playing XI. This will be your top 4 and then you'll have someone like Hooda, Pant, Hardik, Jadeja. I will have a younger guy (in place of Karthik) who is a better fielder on those grounds and can probably chip in with a couple of overs as well. Karthik, unfortunately, will have to miss out unless and until the selectors make a huge call and drop one of the top four," the cricketer-turned-politician added.

Karthik, however, would want to continue performing for Team India in the remainder of the SA series to keep his World Cup dreams alive. On Tuesday evening (June 14), Pant & Co. will take on Temba Bavuma's South Africa in the third T20I to keep the series alive after conceding a 2-0 lead.