Xtra Time Web Desk: It has been a tale of two wicketkeepers in the Indian team – Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant. 37-year-old Dinesh Karthik may be playing his last ICC tournament, having been a part of global event squad for the first time back in 2007 whereas Rishabh Pant, who is 25 years old has years of top flight cricket left in him.
On Sunday during the optional training session of the Indian team Pant batted from start to finish during the nets but a place in the playing eleven still looks like a distant reality. Team India Head Coach Rahul Dravid kept a close watch on Pant as he batted at the nets.
Both Pant and Karthik are at different stages of their lives — Karthik was seen doing some special ‘blind drills’ so that people don’t criticise his keeping in what could be his last big tournament.
Rishabh Pant on the other hand had an extended training session on Saturday. The left hander was seen sweating in the nets ahead of the T20 World Cup clash versus South Africa. Pant hasn’t played a single delivery. But even so, he decided to practice his batting skills on Saturday.