Dinesh Karthik Questions India’s Decision to Pick Five Spinners for Champions Trophy
Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has expressed his reservations about India’s selection strategy for the upcoming Champions Trophy, particularly the decision to include five spinners in the squad. He believes this move indicates that the team management is uncertain about its ideal playing combination.
India made late changes to their squad, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being dropped for Varun Chakaravarthy and Harshit Rana replacing the injured Jasprit Bumrah. The addition of Chakaravarthy has now given India five spin-bowling options, a situation that head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma must carefully navigate.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik remarked, “Five spinners, I personally feel, is a bit too much. They could have done with four. This shows a little bit of—not confusion, which is a strong word—but not being very sure of what exactly to do because they announced a squad and then added another spinner for an opener.”
Siraj Overlooked for Bumrah’s Replacement
Another controversial decision was the selection of Harshit Rana over Mohammed Siraj as Bumrah’s replacement. While Siraj has been a consistent performer in ODIs, the selection committee opted for Rana, who impressed in India’s series against England.
Karthik acknowledged Siraj’s experience but pointed out that the Indian camp currently has more trust in Rana. “If you had to go with experience, Siraj could have been the ideal choice. But Harshit bowled very well against England. I feel Team India backs him right now more than Siraj,” he said.
