'Hope it is not long-term': Gautam Gambhir questions India's decision to pick Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant

India captain Rohit Sharma sprung a surprise in the match against Pakistan when he picked Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant in the XI. However, the move did not go down well with former cricketer Gautam Gambhir.

“It was a tough call we had to take between playing Dinesh and Rishabh, Rishabh sadly misses out,” Rohit said at the toss.

Former India opener Gambhir said that picking Karthik over Pant has come as a “massive surprise” for him as the left-handed batter brings an X factor to the team.

“I won’t experiment from now on because how many games do we have… this Asia Cup? And then you’ve got what… five more games, six more games and then the World Cup. From now on, you want a settled Playing XI. Yes, you can have your backups as well but that is the way I would have wanted. It is a bit of a surprise because Rishabh Pant has been an X-factor,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

Read: Hardik Pandya, in champagne form, seals win after India’s near-perfect bowling

“You need a left-handed in the middle order. India have a lot of right-handers there, which is one-dimensional. And he has done reasonably well. He can be someone who can open the game for you and he can be a floater as well. A bit surprising but I hope it is not long-term. I will still back Rishabh Pant ahead of Dinesh Karthik. It’s a massive surprise.”

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram agreed with Gambhir’s opinion and also praised Pant.

“I agree with him. That is a big call. He is one of the most phenomenal players, a modern top player. The way he bats, he is the future of Indian cricket. He is the future. Obviously, the World Cup is coming up but they have different planning,” Akram said on Star Sports.

Read: India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 — Five talking points from the nail-biting clash

Eventually, the decision didn’t cost India much as they defeated Pakistan by five wickets in their Asia Cup 2022 campaign opener. Karthik came out to bat only in the last over as India were chasing a target of 148. He scored one run off one ball and witnessed Hardik Pandya smash the winning six.

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