Chief selector MSK Prasad said 'Pant was almost there' but finishing matches was the important point where they felt 33-year-old Karthik had an advantage over 21-year-old Rishabh Pant.
The
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on April 15 announced
the 15-member national squad for the ICC
World Cup 2019 to be held from May 30 in England and Wales.
There
were 4-5 slots up for grab as it was evident that remaining seats
would go to known names.
Till
recently, Rishabh Pant had all in his favour and he was seen as a
potential batsman to end India's no. 4 conundrum.
But
the selectors had some other plans, they wanted a player who could
provide more dimensions (bat, bowl and field) or could finish the
matches.
Pant
is a new weapon in India's batting arsenal and in a short span he has
earned the trust and praise of veteran to active players.
Chairman
of selectors, MSK Prasad said, "We all (agreed) that either
Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik will come in if Mahi (MS Dhoni) is
injured. If it's a crucial match, wicket-keeping is also important.
That's the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik. Otherwise, Pant was
almost there."
But
he later added that finishing the matches was the important factor
where 33-year-old Karthik had an advantage over 21-year-old Rishabh
Pant.
“That
is exactly what we discussed. I’m saying one of the wicketkeepers
will make it only if MS is injured. Under pressure, we have seen
Karthik finishing matches,” he said.
However,
BCCI on April 17 named Rishabh Pant, veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu
and young pacer Navdeep Saini as standbys for the tournament.
In
January 2019, Pant was named the ICC Emerging Player of the Year at
the 2018 ICC Awards. Recently he was given level A contract by the
BCCI.
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