Veteran all-rounder and mentor of Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar believes that his student will bounce back strongly following his omission from the first XI of India in the third Test against England at Trent Bridge.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He played a confident knock during India’s first essay striking a second ball six on his debut. Furthermore, he was good with the gloves on claiming five catches to become the first Indian to achieve this feat.
However, Pant’s successful inclusion spells doom for the 33-year-old Dinesh Karthik. The Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper came in place of Wriddhiman Saha, who failed to recover from his injury.
But, the experienced wicket-keeper has failed to cash in on the opportunity. He managed only 21 including two ducks in the fours innings he played. Speaking about Dinesh Karthik’s exclusion, Abhishek Nayar admitted that it is team management’s decision.
“It’s a team management’s decision. He has played in two Test matches where conditions were really tough and he has not done well. He played one decent innings. It’s not like he has played bad shots, he got out to good deliveries. Failure can happen to any cricketer. Not every story is going to be a fairytale,” Nayar noted.
Dinesh Karthik will bounce back: Abhishek Nayar
The veteran all-rounder reckoned apart from Virat Kohli all batsmen have struggled against England quicks. Moreover, he is not disappointed with Karthik’s performance in this series.
“As far as this tour is concerned, I have absolutely zero disappointment. I am only proud of him (Karthik). He has done what he can do best. It obviously has not worked out. In this Test [at Trent Bridge], people are getting runs, and Dinesh is not playing.
“Whether or not he would do well, that is only a question mark that is going to be left unanswered. The matches where DK played in, we all know how the conditions were and how they bowled. It can happen to the best, but it’s not an excuse. Dinesh will bounce back strongly,” Abhishek Nayar concluded.
