ICC World Cup 2019: Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik – Who Should Replace MS Dhoni If He is Injured?
Mar 19, 2019 at 1:39 PM
India’s former skipper MS Dhoni is going to be a pivotal cog in team’s World Cup squad. It would be a huge blow if Dhoni is injured ahead of the World Cup. Dhoni’s experience is of great essence in the team and he is going to play a key role in the success of the team. Meanwhile, India has two options to replace MS Dhoni if he, unfortunately, gets injured ahead of the ODI showpiece.
On the other hand, Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik are the two options to replace MS Dhoni. Karthik has the experience under his belt whereas Rishabh Pant is still taking baby steps at the International level.
Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik was unfortunate to miss out in the five-match ODI series against Australia. The right-hander has done a fine job in finishing the innings for the Indian team. Karthik has averaged a stunning 82 in the successful run-chases for the India National Cricket Team since 2017.
Karthik has hit the ground running from the word go and he has done a fine job in providing quick runs for the side. The Tamil Nadu batsman has thus far scored 1738 runs at an average of 31.04 and strike rate of 73.71. Meanwhile, Karthik has all the experience under his belt and he would like to make the most of it.
On the other hand, Karthik has a good wicketkeeping technique. He has done a great job and he would like to be in good form in the upcoming IPL.
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has got off to a good start in the red ball version of the game. However, the rookie wicketkeeper-batsman is yet to grab his chance in the white ball format. Pant was the second highest run-getter on the tour of Australia as he scored 350 runs in the four-match series. Thus, Pant had made an impressive entry in the Test format.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant is yet to make the most of his chance in the ODI side. In fact, Pant will like to work on his wicketkeeping skills as he is dropping his chances behind the stumps. Pant has an aggressive batting style and he likes to hit the ground the running from the get-go. However, Pant still needs to play according to match situations as he can be a bit wayward in his approach.
Furthermore, Rishabh Pant can be the X-factor in the ICC World Cup 2019. Pant has shown the promise to be the future of Indian cricket. The southpaw combative batsman also has an impressive record in the IPL. The left-hander had amassed 684 runs in the 14 matches of the previous season as he was the second highest run-getter of IPL 2018.