Who will start alongside Rohit Sharma? Will India continue the experiment with Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant at the top, or will KL Rahul reclaim his spot? With Virat Kohli an automatic selection, where will Dinesh Karthik fit into India’s starting XI? There are many questions, and the Indian think tank, as usual, has many problems ahead of their first match in the Asia Cup 2022 against Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai. Former India selector Saba Karim was tasked with selecting the Indian batting unit for their Asia Cup opener against the Babar Azam-led side, and Karim was fairly straightforward in his selections.
The former India wicketkeeper-batsman chose KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma as his openers, with Virat Kohli batting third. Notably, this was India’s top-three finish in last year’s World Cup, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
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“My batting order consists of captain Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli.” And I believe in experience to perform well against a big team like Pakistan as well as in an important tournament like the Asia Cup. I understand Virat Kohli’s struggles with form. KL Rahul, I’d like to see him get more runs, but I still believe that if both Virat Kohli and KL Rahul put in 2-3 good practise sessions, I’m sure they’ll be back in form for India at the right time,’ Karim said on Sports18’s show ‘Sports Over The Top.’
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Both Kohli and Rahul will be out of practise. The former India captain is making a comeback after missing the tours to the West Indies and Zimbabwe, while Rahul, who played his first match since this year’s IPL in the three-match Zimbabwe ODI series, didn’t look in great form in the two chances he got with the bat. However, both are world-class batters who have won multiple matches for India and understand how to perform on a big stage.
For the Pakistan match, Karim chose Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Karthik as India’s wicketkeeper-batter. “Well, in my 11, I could’ve only picked one wicketkeeper batter, because if I get KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, that leaves me with the choice of Dinesh Kartik or Rishabh Pant.” I’ve gone with Rishabh Pant because he’s India’s X Factor, and I can see him delivering some stellar performances even in this Asia Cup. I also prefer a lineup that allows me to use five wicket-taking bowlers. In addition, Hardik Pandya is my sixth bowling option. So, if I go in with this lineup, I won’t have room for two wicket keepers.”
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