Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant IGNORED; Ambati Rayudu Picks Dinesh Karthik as Wicketkeeper in India’s Predicted T20 World Cup Squad

Mumbai: There is so much speculation over who will keep wickets for India at the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA. The problem is – there are plenty of options on offer. Players like Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Jitesh Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul are all eyeing that spot. But amid all the speculations, former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu has picked his predicted squad for the T20 World Cup. It may come as a surprise for fans that he has opted to go for Dinesh Karthik as the wicketkeeper. This would come as a surprise for many as he was not even in the scheme of things over the past season.

Picking Rohit Sharma as the captain of the side, he has Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag in his side. Shubman Gill does not find a spot. Another surprise pick in his side is pacer Mayank Yadav.

Rayudu’s Predicted T20 World Cup Squad: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Riyan Parag, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Shivam Dube, Mayank Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

Rayudu reckons Hardik and Dube are not competing for the same spot. As per Rayudu, Dube is being looked at as India’s No. 4.

“Both of them are not competing for the same spot. Hardik and Jadeja are finishers in the Indian team, and Dube is the kind of batter who comes in at No. 4 or 5. When the spinners are operating and conditions are slow, he can hit boundaries and accelerate to change the game. But between overs 16 and 20, Dube’s strike rate isn’t that high, he fails to hit that many runs. So I feel Hardik and Jadeja have that role in the Indian team,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo.