With the T20 World Cup scheduled for this year, fans and experts will be wondering about who will be included in Rohit Sharma's squad for the showpiece event. During the T20 World Cup last year and also the 2019 ODI World Cup, India lacked a finisher and the selectors will be once again tasked with choosing the best option. Since India's exit from the 2019 ODI World Cup, Rishabh Pant has slowly cemented his position as Team India's finisher and he is expected to don the role once again in Australia, but former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh feels that there is another cricketer who can perform better in the role than Pant in the upcoming tournament. Speaking to Sportskeeda, Harbhajan said that he would put Karthik "ahead of everyone".
"If we have to consider the form and what he's doing for RCB, he has been unbelievable with the bat. He was always a good wicketkeeper. Karthik was an unbelievable keeper from Day 1. He has now donned the role of a finisher with the bat. Last year he was quite off-colour for Kolkata Knight Riders. He didn't score too many runs", said Harbhajan.
"He was getting dismissed in a crunch situation but he's now helping Bangalore win from that position. He is winning you games... I will put him ahead of everyone including Rishabh Pant. He should be your first choice going to Australia."
"Fast bowlers will get extra bounce in those conditions. But Karthik is playing 360-degree game at the moment. He's been unstoppable and should be definitely included in India's squad for T20 World Cup. If a player is doing well, he should be brought back into the side, and DK hasn't performed that bad in international cricket. He needs to be provided consistent opportunities with the Indian team. He will score a lot of runs for India", he further added.
During the ongoing IPL 2022 season, Karthik has been at his blistering best as a finisher for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), with knocks of 32, 14, 44, 7, 34, 13 and 66 at a strike rate of 205.88. He has also remained unbeaten in six of his seven innings.
RCB are currently second in the IPL 2022 Points Table with 10 points from seven games, including five wins and two defeats.