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Cricket Players'If Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant are facing the last 12 balls, India are losing': Ex-Pakistan captain's bold statement
Despite Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant's batting prowess, a former Pakistan captain is not too confident in their abilities of scoring in the death overs.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya and wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant are two of the most formidable batters for India in the middle order. Pant has been made to open on a couple of instances but it is no rocket science that Pant is best suited batting in the lower-middle order. The two recently put on a century partnership for the fifth wicket and guided India home in the third ODI against England, during which Pant scored his maiden match-winning century in white-ball cricket.
But despite their heroics, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif is not too confident in their abilities of scoring much in the death overs. Latif was asked about Dinesh Karthik's form, to which he said that if it comes down to Karthik batting in T20Is for India, chances are that India's top order is struggling.
"In franchise cricket he is fine but when it comes to playing for India, they have 3 to 4 quality batters. How and where will he (Karthik) bat in those 20 overs. But yes, if after him, it comes down to Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant playing the last 12 balls, India are losing the game. So, I believe that till franchise cricket, it is fine – he has a free hand there – but if against international teams like Pakistan and Australia, he is getting to bat, it means that the top order is damaged," Latif said on the YouTube show Caught Behind.
Riding on the back of a stupendous IPL 2022 for Royal Challengers Bangalore that saw him score 330 runs from 10 innings at an average of 55 and strike rate in excess of 180, Karthik has made a roaring comeback into the Indian team and continued to his exploits in T20Is. Karthik has already played quite a few handy knocks from lower down the order and helped India finish matches. In the second T20I against South Africa at home, Karthik's 21-ball 30 helped India post 148/6 and more recently, in the first T20I against West Indies, Karthik smashed 41 not out off just 19 balls.
