Former India batsman Manoj Tiwary clearly didn’t concur with Team India’s decision to drop Rishabh Pant for the first T20I against Australia in Mohali.
Pant had managed scores of 14, 17 and 20* in the three Super 4 matches in the Asia Cup 2022. In the Asia Cup, India had struggled to get a proper flourish at the end when Dinesh Karthik, the specialist finisher, was dropped to include a left-hander in Pant following injury to Ravindra Jadeja.
So the management brought back Karthik to the eleven for the Mohali T20I against Aaron Finch’s side on Tuesday.
Should India have played Rishabh Pant instead of Dinesh Karthik?
While many considered this to be a much-needed move, because India lacked firepower in the death overs against Pakistan and Sri Lanka leading to below-par scores, Manoj Tiwary was displeased with Rohit and Dravid’s selection of excluding Pant from the eleven.
After the toss had happened in Mohali and Rohit announced that Pant will be benched for this game, Manoj Tiwary took to Twitter to express his dissatisfactory emotions regarding the axing of the 24-year-old.
Tiwary didn’t comment anything on Karthik, but hailed Pant as a match-winner. The former KKR batsman also added that Pant is imperative to the team if they wish to win the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.
“When u have a match winner like him in your option then make him play at any cost. If India has to win the World Cup then he has to be in the playing eleven for me from now onwards 👍 #RishabhPant,” Tiwary tweeted.
Here is Manoj Tiwary’s tweet:
When u have a match winner like him in your option then make him play at any cost. If India has to win the World Cup then he has to be in the playing eleven for me from now onwards 👍 #RishabhPant #IndianCricketTeam #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/gLJwYtzSI7
— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) September 20, 2022
Dinesh Karthik couldn’t make much of his chance in Mohali, and was dismissed lbw by Nathan Ellis for only 6 runs.
A blitzkrieg from Cameron Green, who opened for the first time in international cricket, paved the way for Australia to gun down the target of 208 with 4 wickets and 4 balls to spare, and take a 1-0 series lead.
India’s innings was powered by fifty from KL Rahul, who rocked back to form scoring 55 runs off 35 balls, and Suryakumar Yadav supported with 46 off 25 before Hardik Pandya brought out his best T20I knock, smashing 71* off 30 balls. However, Green thumped 61 off 30 balls and Matthew Wade walloped 45 off 21 to ace the chase.
