Reports: Dinesh Karthik set to be dropped for India’s tour of West Indies

Dinesh Karthik set to be dropped: The Indian wicket-keeper batsman’s future remains under clouds at this point in time.

India wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has had a peculiar international career. Having made his debut in 2004, it was in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 that Karthik played his first match in a World Cup.

In and out of the side multiple occasions, Karthik was never given an extended role. Having said that, his numbers were never too impressive to keep him in the side alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

In 94 ODIs, Karthik has scored 1,752 runs at an average of 30.20 and a strike rate of 73.24 including nine half-centuries. The 34-year old cricketer has never really converted his potential into performance at the highest level.

That feeling when you are happy to play a World Cup 😃🙂 – @DineshKarthik #TeamIndia #SLvIND #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/0QEZdn7ZOw

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 5, 2019

Dinesh Karthik set to be dropped

If a recent report in Mid-Day is to be believed, Karthik might face an axe from the Indian team for the umpteenth time in his career. Although he was picked ahead of wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant in the original squad for the World Cup, it was Pant (Shikhar Dhawan’s replacement) who got to play a match ahead of Karthik.

In the two innings that he played in the World Cup, Karthik returned with scores of 8 and 6. In the semi-final against New Zealand, Karthik had a golden opportunity to play the innings of his life but he was found wanting against the moving ball.

ALSO READ: Why India were wrong in sending Dinesh Karthik over MS Dhoni in semi-final

Given his age and a low probability of him playing in the next World Cup, it seems as if the selectors are aiming to look for other options.

Karthik, who has done well in T20Is in the recent times, might still be seen boarding the plane to West Indies for the three-match T20I series starting from August 3.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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