In both the series against England and then the Asia Cup, the Indian selectors went ahead with MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik.
The latter found himself as a pure batsman in the middle order. Karthik put in a decent show, but perhaps the selectors felt this was the time to choose Rishabh Pant for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies.
DK was dropped and as India miss out on several players, Pant got a look in.
With MSD likely to feature as the keeper for the 5-match ODI series, it remains to be seen where does Pant fit in. The selectors perhaps found this series against an inferior Windies as the opportunity to see Pant be groomed.
Who else is better than MS to do the job?
There are many angles to India’s middle-order story and also the situation of the keeping role. With MS likely to play until the World Cup in 2019, India wants to have Pant as a back-up. He may not make the cut in the 15-member ODI side as of now, but one needs to be prepared. With Pant, the selectors have this opportunity.
Several questions have been raised after Pant’s inclusion. Does this signal the end of DK? Also, will Pant get a chance ahead of MS in the starting XI against Windies? Where does Dhoni stand at the moment?
Here we analyze the situation.
Heart goes out for DK
Karthik ‘s ODI career from the very beginning to the end has been a stop-start progress all the way through. Over a period of 14 years, DK has featured in 86 ODI matches. The Tamil Nadu batsman has managed 1,663 runs at an average of 31 that includes nine fifties.
In the Asia Cup 2018 in September, Karthik didn’t do any wrong. He played all of India’s matches and was a part of the success the team achieved as they won the coveted trophy. Scores of 33, 31*, 1*, 44 and 37 give us the reflection of a player that showed some fight. But maybe, the selectors would have wanted to see a player batting all the way in the games he was dismissed.
Karthik was a specialist batsman in the Asia Cup and one expected him to score some more and carry the team home. The situation in the finale was an example. Karthik did all the hard work in building the score for India after the side lost key wickets upfront but then got out in a pivotal situation. India would have liked to see him finish off the innings against Bangladesh.
Karthik is 33 years old at the moment and the selectors may be wanting to see someone they consider the future after Dhoni. And now they made up their mind to go with Pant as the under-study to MS until the 2019 WC. India’s middle order looks unsettled and whether DK can come back and book a slot, remains to be seen.
Why Rishabh Pant?
One of the BCCI officials recently stated that the WI series could act as the opportunity for Pant to get a feeling of ODI cricket. Therefore, this series was the window for the selectors to try Pant out. He has done an able job for his side in the short Test career, and there is a feeling that it could propel him to show his mettle in the ODIs too.
Pant has work to do as a keeper. There have been moments where his rawness has come to fold. That’s where someone like MS comes into the reckoning. He could be used as someone to help Pant out and give him valuable tips. With Pant having both time and age on his side, the message is clear – learn all that you can from Dhoni.
Pant is likely to take over as the main keeper across all formats when Dhoni retires. And now this is the start for him to get a hang of handling the workload. With one middle order spot still vacant in the absence of Kedar Jadhav, there is a possibility of Pant fitting in.
He has Manish Pandey to battle for a spot. And we might see Pant featuring alongside MS in the starting line-up altogether. Therefore, Pant can be there to do the role what DK did in the Asia Cup.
Also, there is the series against Australia next and Rishabh Pant could keep his chances wide open in a side that isn’t settled at the moment.
Crucial series for MSDÂ
We will probably not see Dhoni being handed a place on the bench during the series against Windies. Dhoni has had a difficult time off late to score the runs that would please him. Therefore, this 5-match series becomes a crucial one for him to regain some confidence with the bat.
Dhoni at number 5 Â would look to come in and play the anchor role. Also with his value behind the stumps and the application for the decision of the DRS, Dhoni is the ideal choice. He would be hoping to keep critics at bay, who questioned his place during the series against England.
Dhoni isn’t the finisher anymore he used to be, but now it is time for someone else to come in and do that job. Therefore, Pant comes in here during this series specifically. He can bat at number 6 and be the finisher India would want during the matches.
This series is also vital for MS in relation to both the Australia tour and then England. Now it is just a matter of confidence. Dhoni is still carrying the burden of unnecessary criticism, he received during the tour of England.
But when one looks closely, it isn’t just the runs, his work behind the stumps and his on-field guidance to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma cannot be overlooked. He has always been an influential figure and has now become more of a guiding light for the ODI squad.