He has forced selectors to think 'look, we can't ignore him': Kapil Dev's special praise for in-form India cricketer
The legendary Kapil Dev has reserved humongous praise for one of the vital members of the Indian team, and feels that the kind of form the player has recently displayed, has forced the selectors to take him seriously.
The legendary Kapil Dev has reserved humongous praise for one of the vital members of the Indian team, and feels that the kind of form the player has recently displayed, has forced the selectors to take him seriously. In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in October, there are plenty of positions up for grabs in the batting, fast-bowling, wicket-keeping and spin bowling departments and with a deep pool of players to pick from, the BCCI selection committee should ideally be giving everyone chances in the 30-odd India T20 matches that are to take place between now and the World Cup.
From the current lot, Kapil feels that India veteran Dinesh Karthik has produced a strong case for himself as far as his selection goes. Coming off a superlative IPL 2022 for Royal Challengers Bangalore where he scored, 330 runs at an average of 55, Karthik, after being rewarded with an India call-back, scored a rampant 30 not out off 21 balls. On current form, Karthik certainly is hard to overlook, which is why Kapil believes that no amount of praise is enough for the 37-year-old.
"This time he has performed so well that he has forced the selectors to think that 'look, you can't ignore me'. Rishabh Pant is a youngster, he has plenty of cricket. Dinesh Karthik has experience and performance, which is why I would say, that no amount praise is enough for him," Kapil told Uncut.
The World Cup winning former India captain, Kapil credited Karthik for having the same dedication he had all those years ago when he made his India debut back in 2004, and announced himself with a sharp stumping of Michael Vaughan. With India desperately looking for a finisher, Karthik has proved through his exploits for RCB that he is ready to take up the role.
"He has been playing cricket even before MS Dhoni. It’s been 2 years since Dhoni retired but even now, Karthik has kept his motivation level high and to love the game with the same passion and heart after so many years is not easy. If you talk about consistency, then Dinesh Karthik is ahead of them all. Irrespective of how many balls he faces – 20, 10, or 15, he always delivers, like we saw in the IPL," added Kapil.
