Xtra Time Web Desk: Will Rishabh Pant, Yuzvendra Chahal get an opportunity in playing XI against Zimbabwe? There is a possibility of Rishabh Pant getting a nod in the playing XI ahead of Dinesh Karthik as Rohit and his boys will take on Zimbabwe in the final Group 2 game on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is only a possibility as Rahul Dravid is not in favour of tinkering too much with the playing XI and more so the team has won their last match against Bangladesh.
Dinesh Karthik’s form in the ongoing T20 World Cup has been a bit of concern for the Indian team management. The veteran wicket keeper batter has scores of 1, 6 and 7 in the ongoing and hasn’t lived up to the expectations. Karthik has so far faced 22 balls and scored only 14 runs. As things stand, apart from team management’s backing, DK does not have a lot to show for it.
On the other hand, Rishabh Pant has been practising hard to make a comeback. He was seen having a long batting session during the optional practice session. The diminutive wicket-keeper batter was seen in a relaxed mood chatting with Virat Kohli. It will not be a bad idea to play Pant ahead of the big semi-final in order to make him ready for the knock-out stages.
There is unlikely going to be any change in the bowling attack which will mean Axar Patel will be persisted with in the playing XI. Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal could be another option as he was seen batting as well in the nets on Saturday. However, Ashwin has been effective barring the South Africa game. More so Rahul Dravid may not be wanting to tinker with the combination too much.
As far as the pacers are concerned the trio of Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been superb except the South Africa game.
In the batting department, KL Rahul hit form with a brilliant half-century against Bangladesh. Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav have both hit top gear.
However, Rohit Sharma’s form has been lukewarm run so far. While he scored a fifty against Netherlands, he has failed to get going against bigger opponents like Pakistan and South Africa.
Here is the likely playing XI for India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik/Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel/Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh.