India have only one match left in the Super 12 stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup, and there are no signs of the dashing Rishabh Pant yet. The only time he featured in a match was when Dinesh Karthik was injured, during the loss to South Africa, and Pant came in as a substitute wicketkeeper. Karthik hasn't been able to fire as expected in his finisher's role. He hit single digit scores in the three matches where he batted. There has been a growing call by the experts to include Pant in the playing XI, especially with him being the only specialist left-handed batter in the squad.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is of the same view. During a discussion on Sydney Morning Herald, where he was talking about a struggling Tim David being included in Australia XI, he opined on the Indian team combination.
"What has Tim David done at the international level? Sometimes, selectors pick people on domestic form, and I think India is a classic example. They are picking Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant, ridiculous! Rishabh Pant should be playing every game. But, that's a tendency," Chappell said on Sydney Morning Herald.
"I have been saying 'Let's wait on Tim David, let's play him after the World Cup, get him some international matches.' And let's see if he can belt them around. And Not just belt the average 120kmh guys, can he belt the 150kmh guys? Because that's not so easy."
Team India currently seats atop Group 2 with six points from four games and face Zimbabwe in their last league match on Sunday.