Rishabh Pant’s captaincy is being criticized a lot after Team India’s second consecutive defeat in the five-match series against South Africa. After losing the first match in Delhi last week, the team also faced defeat at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday. The hosts are trailing 2-0 in the series. Pant’s decision to send Axar Patel to bat ahead of Dinesh Karthik in the second T20I has drawn criticism.
His decision to not bowl full four overs from leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the first T20 was criticized. Now the former veteran cricketer is unhappy with the decision to send Karthik later. Talking to Star Sports after the match, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed anger over Pant’s decision. He said that Karthik is being fed as a “finisher”, but at a time when the team loses wickets at the start, he can be sent early so that he can understand the pitch better and how to do it. Batting accordingly.
Gavaskar said, “Sometimes there are labels like ‘finisher’. When you talk about a finisher you think he will come to bat only after the 15th over. He can’t come in the 12th or 13th over. We have seen this happen in IPL as well. Many teams have kept their big hitters for the last 4-5 overs. In fact if they should have been sent first. It is not necessary that they hit sixes as soon as they come. When they come to bat and they know about the wicket, they can bat accordingly in the last 4-5 overs.
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith was also a part of this discussion. He too was taken aback by this strategy and spoke about Karthik’s experience as a batsman in international cricket. He said, “I don’t understand. Karthik is one of the most experienced cricketers in India. Look how many matches he has played for India. Forget about IPL. How can you send Akshar Patel ahead of him.”
After the match Gautam Gambhir said on Star Sports, “No doubt Dinesh Karthik did really well but he should have at least come out to bat before Axar Patel. Generally we say that T20 has a very limited number of deliveries to be faced and most of the batsmen want to bat higher up the order. Dinesh Karthik is one player you want to keep for the last 3-4 overs but should be sent early because of Hardik Pandya’s dismissal.
Gambhir further said, “If Karthik had been sent before Axar Patel and he had played 10-15 balls more, he might have done more damage to the opposition team. The target of 149 could have been 169. Therefore, it should not happen further that Dinesh Karthik is kept for the last three overs. If you are a special batsman and you are batting at No.6 then it is your job to play in tough conditions. Give yourself more chances and score more runs in the last three overs.