Sunil Gavaskar believes both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik can feature in India’s playing XI if the team decides to go with Hardik Pandya as the fifth bowler. But at the same time, he has also raised the question that since Pant would probably bat down at No.6 and will not get many overs at the crease, will it be a wise idea to sacrifice an extra bowler for him?
“It’s just that maybe, if they decide to go with six bowlers, with Hardik Pandya being the sixth bowler, then he (Pant) may not be able to find a place,” Gavaskar said on a Star Sports show.
“But if they decide to go with Hardik as a fifth bowler, then Pant has an opportunity to bat at No.6 and Karthik maybe at No.7, followed by the four bowlers.
“They 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?’
India play Pakistan in their first match in Melbourne on Sunday.