Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) continues its strong performance in the league, but the team remains on the brink of elimination. Despite this, Virat Kohli currently holds the orange cap for the most runs this season, while Dinesh Karthik‘s exceptional form for Bengaluru includes an impressive average above 80 and a strike rate of 196.
However, Bengaluru’s struggles have been evident as they failed to close out matches and lost consecutively. The team’s lack of effective bowling and inconsistent batting from other players have put them in a challenging position. RCB needs a massive turn around and a miracle to qualify for the play offs as they are placed at the bottom of the points table.
S Badrinath has opined not to include Dinesh Karthik in the WC squad
Subramanyam Badrinath, a former Indian player, has suggested not selecting Dinesh Karthik for the upcoming T20 World Cup despite Karthik’s strong form, citing his age of nearly 40 years as a reason to consider younger players. Badrinath believes emerging talents like Rishabh Pant and Rinku Singh, who are showing promise and have the potential to finish games, should be prioritized in the squad.
Pant, who made a strong return after recovering from an accident 14 months ago, has demonstrated his readiness and is expected to be considered for the T20 World Cup. Badrinath also mentioned that while Karthik is known for finishing games, other players like Ravindra Jadeja and Rinku Singh should be given opportunities to perform in the World Cup.
S Badrinath expressed his view:
“See, if you’re going to pick Dinesh Karthik, you have to play him in the XI for all the matches. The question is does the XI in Team India have room for a player like Dinesh Karthik? Because let me be honest, he’s in the twilight of his career,”
So I think he’s probably not going to be useful if you’re just going to keep him in the squad. And it’s not the right way to go. I would rather go for a youngster. But if you’re certain that he’s the finisher you want, that if he’s going to play in the XI, I will select him,”
Ultimately, the selectors’ decisions regarding the squad’s composition and whether to include Dinesh Karthik remain to be seen.