'He has been doing this': Former India opener explains why Dinesh Karthik is integral part of India T20I team

India are set to take on Australia in a three-match T20I series beginning September 20 at Mohali. This will act as a perfect preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup next month. India will go with a full strength squad in this bilateral series, as it will feature all the players who will be part of the mega tournament.

In fact, both Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant is part of the squad for the Australia series. However, in the first T20I it is Karthik who has been picked over Pant. Former India opener Abhinav Mukund has weighed in on this debate has said that it is Dinesh Karthik who should play for India in the long term considering his ability to finish the game. He also added that Hardik Pandya can come into bat at no.4 given his performances for Gujarat Titans.

"Definitely, Dinesh Karthik should play the finisher's role. There is an important reason for it. I couldn't think of it right after the World Cup squad but after analysing carefully. All the batters who are playing in the top 7 positions have batted at No. 4 or higher for their respective team, be it IPL franchise or domestic set-up. No one has batted at No. 5, No. 6 or No 7, including Hardik Pandya. Hardik has played as a finisher for India but he came back after scoring heavily in the top 4 for Gujarat Titans," Mukund told Star Sports Tamil.

Given Dinesh Karthik's excellence in finishing games, especially since IPL 2022, Mukund belives that he is best suited for the no.7 role in the T20I team. In the latter stages of the Asia Cup, the role was given to Deepak Hooda who couldn't find much success.

"I think that's where they are making a slight mistake. Suddenly, you are giving the batters another role and asking them to go after the bowlers straightaway. The pressure on the player also increases. Instead, give it to someone who has handled such pressure situations before. He has been doing this, he has come back into the team because of this. So give him the finisher's role," Abhinav Mukund added.