Gilchrist bats for Pant

FOR his sheer “courage and dare”, Rishabh Pant (below) should be a part of India’s starting XI during the T20 World Cup, former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has said.

There has been a debate whether it should be Pant or Dinesh Karthik in India’s playing 11, but Gilchrist’s vote of confidence is for the Delhi man.

“The dare of Rishabh Pant and the courage in him, the way in which he takes on bowling attacks, I think he’s got to be a must in that Indian line-up,” Gilchrist said. “They can play together, but I think Rishabh Pant has definitely got to be in there.”

India included both Pant and Karthik in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia, but the former’s underwhelming T20I record might go against him.

Pant has 934 runs in 58 T20Is at an average of 23.94 and a strike-rate of 126.21. But he hasn’t quite enjoyed the success that was expected of him in this format. In addition, Karthik has of late blossomed as a finisher, which could work in his favour.

But like his former skipper Ricky Ponting, Gilchrist believes both wicketkeeper-batters can play in the team.

“It’ll be interesting to see if they can both play in the same team. I think they can. The versatility of Dinesh Karthik, he can play at the top of the order; he can, as he has done later in his career, be in the middle and late overs to finish. He has a really nice touch game,” Gilchrist said.