Dinesh Karthik’s consistency and Board of Control for Cricket in India’s rotation policy helped the 31-year-old earn his place back in the Indian squad. Karthik along with Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur were the two notable inclusions in the India squad for the upcoming One-day International series against New Zealand.
Karthik was in superb touch in the Duleep Trophy, slamming 291 runs at 72.75, which included two centuries. The Tamil Nadu veteran was preferred over highly-rated southpaw Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, who didn’t get a game against Australia following a meek run of form in Sri Lanka, “Karthik’s inclusion is a reward for the runs he has been scoring,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
He added, “There is no particular reason [behind Rahul’s omission] because Ajinkya [Rahane] has done well as an opener. He (Rahul) will play Board President’s XI or the Ranji Trophy. What’s the point in him just being in the squad and not playing? We will see how it goes [as far as his batting position is concerned]. Because, as of now, this is the best combination. We are trying to rotate everybody. We are open to different combinations and options. DK instead of Rahul in the middle order is also a part of the process.”
The official attributed current form as a key criteria for selection. The 20-year-old Pant failed to land big scores in the India A tour of South Africa and Duleep Trophy, “When somebody comes into the team, if he comes with a lot of runs, he will come with better confidence and will have a better chance of doing well,” he said.
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