2 weeks ago. Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Sunil Gavaskar wants ‘finisher’ Dinesh Karthik in Indian team for upcoming series

Dinesh Karthik is playing the role of a finisher for RCB in IPL 2022
He scored 274 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 200 so far
Gavaskar said Karthik should be recalled into the Indian team for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is set to make a comeback in the Indian team for the T20I home series against South Africa and the tour of England. India’s T20I series against South Africa starts after the IPL. After the home series, India will travel to England to play three ODIs and as many T20Is and a Test which was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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"The way the IPL is going for him at the moment, I do believe he should be very much in the running for the India spot in the October tournament, maybe even earlier for South Africa, for England, I do believe he should be earlier in the team," Gavaskar told Sports Today.

Karthik, 36, has been in terrific form in IPL 2022, playing the finisher’s role for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In fact, Karthik is RCB's second-highest run-scorer this season with 274 runs in 12 matches. But what has been most impressive about his batting is his strike rate. Karthik has maintained a strike rate of 200 this season.

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Gavaskar said he would like to see Karthik bat at No. 6 or 7 where he has been batting in the IPL now.

"I would definitely look at him as a batter who can come in at No. 6 or No. 7 like he is doing for RCB and take the game away from the opposition," Gavaskar added.

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The former opener also said that Karthik was desperate to make a comeback to the Indian team even when he was doing commentary assignments.

"I spent a lot of time with him last year. We spent about 10-12 days in quarantine in Belgrade, Serbia where we practically sort of spending 12 to 14 hours a day, eating lunch, dinner, and breakfast. Spending time with him, I got to see how keen he was to come back to the Indian team. He was keen to come back to the team that played in the UAE last year. That didn’t quite happen. It was perhaps a little too close. The IPL that year didn’t go all that well for him," Gavaskar said.

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Sunil Gavaskar wants ‘finisher’ Dinesh Karthik in Indian team for upcoming series

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