'India should have very strong look at him': Karthik names 'readymade' youngster for T20Is; 'Has ability to tonk sixes'
Dinesh Karthik has suggested the team management take a “very strong look” at the youngster.
Team India will return to action in the limited-overs format on February 6 when the side takes on the West Indies in a three-match ODI series. The squads for both, ODIs and T20Is against the Windies were announced earlier this week with a number of key changes; especially in the bowling attack. The batting lineup in the squad, meanwhile, remained largely the same barring the return of Deepak Hooda and Rohit Sharma, who will lead the side for the first time since being named the full-time captain in white-ball formats in December last year.
However, Dinesh Karthik has suggested Team India take a "very strong look” at Tamil Nadu batter Shahrukh Khan, who made a name for himself with his hard-hitting prowess over the years in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The 26-year-old, who played for the Punjab Kings in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League, is also among one of the prime contenders for a considerable bidding war in the mega auction.
“He's actually readymade right now. I do think Team India should have a very strong look at him in the T20 format specifically because he has the ability to come in and tonk a few sixes,” said Karthik on Cricbuzz.
The mega auction is scheduled to take place on February 12-13 in Bengaluru and while it justifiably has huge importance in the team-building process, it has added significance this year with two new IPL franchises joining the roster; Lucknow (Super Giants) and Ahmedabad.
Karthik named two Tamil Nadu players; spinner R Sai Kishore and batter Indrajith Baba as players who are “ready to play” in the IPL.
“Another kid from Tamil Nadu who I feel is right up there but faces a lot of competition is Sai Kishore. He's really good. He's ready to play in an IPL team. There's no doubt about that,” said Karthik.
“Another player who has done really well in middle order for us (Tamil Nadu) apart from Shahrukh Khan is Indrajith Baba. He's stood out this year in terms of how well he's batted and the strike rate at which he's batted. Almost every time he's gone on to bat, he's hit sixers and he's looking like someone who can make a difference in the middle of the innings. He's also somebody a lot of franchises will be looking at very keenly.”