India vs England: Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik in semis? Captain Rohit Sharma responds

After India picked wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Karthik in their last Super 12 game against Zimbabwe, there have been speculations that the left-hander could also feature in the semi-final against England on Thursday. Dinesh Karthik has been India’s first-choice wicket-keeper in the ongoing T20 World Cup, having played four of the five matches so far. However, he has only managed 14 runs in three innings. Rishabh Pant was given a go against Zimbabwe but the left-handed batter only scored three runs.

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Despite his meagre returns, a section of experts and fans have been calling for Pant’s inclusion in India’s playing XI for the semi-final.

India captain Rohit Sharma was asked about the same on Wednesday on the eve of the England game. The opener, however, refused to reveal who India will pick to play in the semi-final.

“I said it before the last game, as well, Rishabh was the only guy who didn’t get to play on this tour at all except the two games that we played in Perth. That was an unofficial practice game. But since then he hasn’t had a hit, and he was the only guy who was missing some game time, so we wanted to give him some time and have some options, as well, whether if we want to make changes in the semis or the finals, we should be able to do that,” Rohit said during the press conference.

Watch: Rohit, Dravid assess Adelaide Oval pitch ahead of semis

“It will be unfair to bring a guy out of nowhere and make him play the game, so that was the thought. But again, we have told the guys that everyone needs to be ready for whichever game they play, whether it is the semis or league games. It was a little tactical as well considering we did not know which team we would play in the semi-final before that Zimbabwe game. We wanted to make sure to give the left-hander an opportunity to counter those spinners who bowl in the middle.

“But again, what is going to happen tomorrow, I cannot tell you know but both of those keepers will be in play for selection,” he added.

Rohit, who had received a blow on his right forearm during a practice session on Tuesday, also informed the media that he is perfectly fine for the next match.

“I was hit yesterday, yes, but it seems to be fine now. There was a little bruising, but it’s absolutely fine now,” he said.

Talking about India’s chances of winning the World Cup, Rohit said the focus should be on the semi-final against England and that the team should continue to stick to the process that has helped them so far.

“Yeah, absolutely. It’s an opportunity for us to come and do what we do understand. It’s been a long process for us, and we will stick to our process. I think it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves, and we do understand, as well, that we have to play good cricket to win that game, which I think we’ve done in this tournament,” Rohit said.

“We just need to stick to it. I know we’re a long way away from it, but I think it’s important to just understand that it’s a contest between bat and ball which we have to come on top with, and yeah, and stick to and trust what we’ve been doing so far.”

‘One knock-out game won’t define me or any other player’

India skipper Rohit Sharma understands the criticism about his underwhelming numbers in crunch games but would not appreciate if he or any other player is defined by failure in an odd high-stakes game.

India skipper Rohit Sharma understands the criticism about his underwhelming numbers in crunch games but would not appreciate it if he or any other player is defined by failure in an odd high-stakes game.

Rohit has struggled to make a substantial contribution to India’s total while competing in knock-out games at the ICC events over the years.

He managed just 29 against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20 final and a mere 34 against Australia in the 2015 ODI World Cup semifinal. He scored 43 against the West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final and could not even open his account against Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy title clash.

In the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal against New Zealand, Rohit’s contribution was just 1.

Asked if such below-par performance in important matches bothers him, Rohit was not amused.

“Not just me, but all the players, what they’ve done in their entire career, one knockout game doesn’t define them,” Rohit said as he gears up to lead India in the T20 World Cup semi-final against England.

“The entire year you work so hard to get where you want to and do well in whichever format you play. So that one particular game is not going to decide that,” he insisted.

Rohit has no problems in being in present but reminded that the past should not be forgotten.

“It’s important to understand that knockout games are important and it gives you immense confidence if you do well. But we do not forget what has happened in the past, what the players have done in the past.

“All the performances that they’ve put in for the team over the years, that one game cannot dictate that (narrative),” Rohit added.

Rohit’s leadership philosophy when it comes to big multi-team events is simple end result should be more than the sum total of its parts. “But again, it’s just a phase. It’s just one phase of the tournament. We know there are two crucial phases of it. You have to break it into parts.

“We have done one part of it really well. There are two more parts to go. But tomorrow is going to be one part of it where we have to play well to get the result,” he said in reference to Thursday’s semi-final and a possible final appearance.

Surya has shopping baggage but no ‘pressure baggage’                

The Indian captain, at times, during his interaction with the media has been effortlessly funny. When a British journalist asked about Suryakumar Yadav’s fearless approach which has become a talk of the tournament, his deadpan expression and the answer invited chuckles in the media room.

“That’s probably his nature. I think he’s (Surya) that sort of guy who just doesn’t carry any baggage with him. No, not his suitcase (laughter). He’s got a lot of suitcases, honestly speaking. He loves his shopping.

“But when it comes to carrying the extra pressure, extra baggage, I don’t think he has that in him. You can see that when he plays. It’s not like he’s played a couple of tournaments like that. He’s been playing like that for a year now, and it shows, and you can judge the kind of character he is, and he likes to play like that.”

In fact, Rohit gave a nice insight into Surya’s mindset.

“Surya likes playing on the big ground. He hates playing on small grounds. As he told me once, he doesn’t like the smaller boundaries, and smaller grounds. He can’t see the gaps. I believe that he likes to see big gaps, and that’s where his strength is.”

Rohit is an advocate of playing a fearless brand of cricket but India’s batting approach in Powerplays has been cautious.

Asked about this, he said, “Looking at how the conditions are here, you just don’t want to come out and swing your bat. You want to understand the conditions. The ball is swinging a little more than what we have experienced in the last year.”

With PTI inputs

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