Australia great Ian Chappell slams Team India's 'ridiculous' decision at T20 World Cup

Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has criticised India's selection of Dinesh Karthik over the explosive Rishabh Pant in the playing XI for the ongoing T20 World Cup. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Chappell said it is ridiculous that the Indian management has picked Karthik over Pant when the latter should be playing in each game for his team. According to Chappell, occasionally selectors pick players based exclusively on their domestic form, which should not be the case.

"What has Tim David done at the international level? Sometimes, selectors pick players on domestic form, and I think India is a classic example. They are picking Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant… ridiculous! I mean, Rishabh Pant should be playing every game. So, that’s the tendency," Chappell was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald. 

Karthik at T20 World Cup 2022

Karthik has failed to replicate his IPL form in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He has been dismissed for low scores in all the matches for India except for that one game against the Netherlands, in which Karthik did not get the opportunity to bat. Karthik was removed for just 1 run in India's opening match against Pakistan and then was brought down by South Africa and Bangladesh for 6 and 7 runs, respectively. 

Karthik is expected to again feature in the playing XI for India in their next match against Zimbabwe on Sunday. Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has backed Karthik to do well in the ongoing competition. Dravid has said that Karthik doing well in the World Cup is good for the Indian team as it makes them a competitive side. Karthik was picked in India's T20 World Cup squad based on his performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022. 

India at T20 World Cup 2022

The Rohit Sharma-led side is currently on top of the Group 2 points table with three wins in four matches. India are slated to play one more game in the group stage before they advance to the semis, which is a likely scenario given their position on the table. South Africa are also favourites to qualify for the next stage of the competition from Group 2. 

Image: ICC/BCCI