“Dinesh Karthik deserves a place in Indian team especially after his couple of brilliant centuries in warm-up games,” says Former Indian Skipper, Sunil Gavaskar. Little master appreciated his efforts which not only rescued the Indian from a humiliating defeat but also gave his side that much-needed confidence before the opener of Champions Trophy 2013.
He was quoted by Hindustan Times saying, "He (Dinesh Karthik) has to play tomorrow. He has rescued India twice in the practice matches. He has been in good form and has done enough to make his place in the side."
May be Indian openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, has failed to make them count in couple of warm-up games that were played against Sri Lanka and Australia. Gavaskar felt India should still go with regular openers against a strong South African bowling line-up.
Gavaskar was quoted by Indian Express saying, "I don't think India would want to unsettle their opening pair. They might have struggled in the practice matches but still they would require regular openers in seaming English conditions.”
"Openers will be crucial for the team. India will look up for a solid start from their openers. A good start will make things easier for the middle order batsmen," he added.
"South Africa will be missing Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis plus fitness concerns of Dale Steyn would be a big problem for them. If Steyn is not playing tomorrow, it will be a huge advantage for India and they must capitalise on it," he was quoted by Times of India.
"The fact they are out of India is blessing in disguise for the team. With so much noise in India, playing away from home is a huge plus," he concluded.