Former England captain Michael Vaughan, who has always been a vocal supporter of young Rishabh Pant, found his voice once again after the southpaw played a stunning innings to lead Delhi Capitals to a win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Taking to Twitter, Michael Vaughan wrote: “How is @RishabPant777 not in the World Cup squad ...... Pretty sure #India still have time to change ........ !!!! ! How is @RishabPant777 not in the World Cup squad ...... Pretty sure #India still have time to change ........ !!!!! #Bonkers #IPL19 — Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) May 8, 2019 The Indian selectors preferred Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant as the secondary wicket-keeper in India’s World Cup squad, a decision which has attracted mixed response from the cricketing fraternity. While Karthik did not have a very good season with Kolkata Knight Riders, Rishabh Pant has been in fine form for Delhi Capitals. ALSO READ: Next time will finish the match for the team - Rishabh Pant Rishabh Pant smashed 49 off 21 balls as Delhi Capitals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League 2019 in Vizag. His innings was packed with five sixes and two boundaries and was the difference between the two sides. “If you are set, you have to finish it for your team. Next time, I will try to finish it for my team as I got very close tonight. I just try to be positive. In T20s, you have to have a big over. We practice every day with the same set of bowlers and we see the ball and not the bowler. Today, I didn’t try to hit it too hard and focused on timing,” Pant said after the match.<doc-sep>Ishan Kishan will lead a strong India A side in a two-match four-day series while Priyank Panchal will captain the 50-over team against Sri Lanka A, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Tuesday (May 14). The squad for the multi-day series boasts the likes of Shubman Gill, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda and Shreyas Gopal among others. The first match of series will get underway from May 25 in Belgaum, Karnataka before the two teams move to Hubli for the second game which starts June 1. India A and Sri Lanka A will then lock horns in a five-match one-day series will begin from June 6 in Hubli and end on June 15 in Belgaum. Abhimanyu Easwaran, Rahul Chahar, Siddhesh Lad and Rinku Singh will be some of the star attractions in the 50-over games. The Indian national selectors also picked India A teams for their tour to the Caribbean. The sides will play three four-day and five one-day matches against West Indies A starting July 11 at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. Manish Pandey will lead the four-day side while Shreyas Iyer has been named captain of the 50-over team. Test specialists Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari have been named in both squads. Interestingly, Wriddhiman Saha has been picked ahead of Rishabh Pant in the squad for the multi-day games while K.S. Bharat is the second-choice keeper. Pant has been named in the squad for the 50-over games. This tour could be the perfect opportunity for Saha to impress the selectors having lost his place in the Test team to Pant after he injured his shoulder. Former India legspinner Narendra Hirwani, domestic cricket stalwart Sitanshu Kotak and ex-India wicketkeeper Vijay Yadav will be the bowling, batting and fielding coaches respectively for both the series. Squad for 2 multi-day matches against Sri Lanka A: Ishan Kishan (C & WK), Anmolpreet Singh, Rituraj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Ricky Bhui, Shubman Gill, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Washington Sundar, Mayank Markande, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Warrier, Ishan Porel, Prashant Chopra Squad for 5 one-day matches against Sri Lanka A: PK Panchal (C), AR Easwaran, Anmolpreet Singh, Ricky Bhui, Siddhesh Lad, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, KS Bharat (WK), Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, A Sarwate, Sandeep Warrier, Ankit Rajpoot, Ishan Porel Squad for 5 one-day matches against West Indies A: Manish Pandey (C), Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishab Pant (WK), Rahul Chahar, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan Squad for 1st & 2nd multi-day matches against West Indies A: Shreyas Iyer (C), PK Panchal, AR Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Shivam Dube, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), KS Bharat (WK), K Gowtham, S Nadeem, Mayank Markande, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan Squad for 3rd multi-day match against West Indies A: Shreyas Iyer (C), Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Shivam Dube, Mayank Markande, K Gowtham, S Nadeem, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan<doc-sep>India’s squad for the upcoming World Cup was announced on April 15. The selection grabbed criticism as Dinesh Karthik was picked in the 15-man squad instead of Rishabh Pant. Later, Chief selector MSK Prasad made it clear that the decision was taken keeping Karthik’s experience in mind. On Wednesday (May 15), Indian skipper Virat Kohli too emphasised on the same point, stating that Karthik’s experience and composure in difficult situations had helped him to grab a place in the squad. MS Dhoni will be designated first-choice wicketkeeper in the World Cup with the selectors making it clear that the 33-year-old Karthik will only play if Dhoni gets injured. “In pressure situations, he’s shown composure,” Virat Kohli told the Times of India about Karthik. “It was something that everybody on board was convinced about. “He has the experience. If, god forbid, something happens to MS (Dhoni), Karthik can be immensely valuable behind the wickets. As a finisher, he’s done well. So, it was the overall exposure to a tournament of this magnitude that was taken into primary consideration.” This is only the second time that Karthik has made it to the World Cup squad, the first time being in 2007, under Rahul Dravid’s leadership. Karthik made his ODI debut in 2004 and has played 91 matches for India in the format, compared to left-handed batsman Pant who has played just five after making his 50-over debut last October. India’s fight for the third World Cup trophy begins on June 5 against South Africa in Southampton.<doc-sep>
India picked veteran Dinesh Karthik over rising talent Rishabh Pant for the World Cup because of his composure under pressure, captain Virat Kohli said in an interview released Wednesday. The selection of the 33-year-old Karthik in the 15-member squad was sharply criticised by some former cricketers who felt the 21-year-old Pant should have been given a chance. Since making his debut in 2018, Pant has impressed with his batting, including a maiden Test century in England. He scored 488 runs from 16 matches in the just-finished Indian Premier League, while Karthik made 253 runs from 14 games. Both players are vying for the reserve wicketkeeper slot behind former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “In pressure situations, he (Karthik) has shown composure. It was something that everybody on board was convinced about. He has the experience,” Kohli told the Times of India newspaper. “If, god forbid, something happens to MS (Dhoni), Karthik can be immensely valuable behind the wickets. As a finisher, he’s done well. “So, it was the overall exposure to a tournament of this magnitude that was taken into primary consideration,” said Kohli. After making his debut in 2004, Karthik has played 91 one-day internationals while Pant has five to his name. Kohli, who will be leading India for the first time at the World Cup, said he was not bothered about the constant attention he gets as a batsman and captain. “I don’t want to be the centre of everything. Nobody wants that. But when your intent is to make the team win, eventually you end up doing things which are always going to be seen,” said Kohli, the world’s number one Test and one-day player. “I would always put my body on the line for the team.” India are chasing their third World Cup after wins in 1983 and 2011. Know more about Sport360 Application