"May Not Be Able To Find A Place": Sunil Gavaskar On Why India Star Might Miss T20 World Cup Game vs Pakistan

India play their 2022 T20 World Cup opening game against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23. Ahead of the high-octane clash, several cricket pundits have already shared their views on who they think could be a part of the playing XI of the respective teams on the match day. Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is of the opinion that Rishabh Pant might miss out on India's XI, in case the side opts to pick Hardik Pandya as a sixth bowling option.

However, Gavaskar feels that Pant is likely to make it to the Indian squad if the team plays Hardik as the fifth bowling option.

"If they decide to go with six bowlers, with Hardik Pandya being the sixth bowler, then he (Rishabh Pant) may not be able to find a place. But if they decide to go with Hardik Pandya as a fifth bowler, then Rishabh Pant has an opportunity to bat at number six and Karthik maybe at number seven, followed by the four bowlers. So, that could well happen," said Gavaskar on Star Sports.

Of late, India have preferred Dinesh Karthik over Pant in T20Is and the latter has performed well in the limited opportunities he has got.

Gavaskar said that even if Pant plays, he might not get much deliveries to face.

"They (India) would certainly want a left hander in the middle, but looking at the top four, who are in such good form, you sometimes say to yourself, 'How many overs Rishabh Pant is going to get in? Is he going to get three or four overs? And for three or four overs, is Karthik or Rishabh better?' So, these are all the situations they will look at and they'll take a call on this," added Gavaskar.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Sunil Gavaskar Dinesh Karthik Rishabh Pant