'A left-hander should be there to disrupt the England attack'- Ravi Shastri wants Rishabh Pant for India's semi-final clash

The Indian team are just two matches away from ending their trophy drought in ICC events. But those two matches will require an impeccable effort from the Men in Blue as they square off against an underperforming yet dangerous English side in their semi-final clash in Adelaide. While the Indian team will refrain from making any changes to a winning combination, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri feels Dinesh Karthik should be sacrificed for the explosive Rishabh Pant.

Rohit Sharma's side have looked vulnerable, when it comes to their wicketkeeper-batters, as neither Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant has been able to grab the opportunities afforded to them in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Although the veteran Karthik has been favored by the team management, Shastri feels Pant is a more sensible choice looking at England's bowling attack.

"Dinesh is a lovely team player. But when it comes to a game against England or New Zealand, just seeing their attack, I think you need a robust left-hander who can turn it on and is a match-winner and a left-hander. Pant has done well against England. He recently won a match on his win against England, a one-day game. I would go with Pant, not just because he played here, but because of the X-factor angle, he can bring to the semi-final," Shastri told the broadcaster Star Sports after India's victory over Zimbabwe on Sunday.

You need a left-hander in your team: Ravi Shastri

The former Indian cricketer stated that the southpaw adds another dimension to the Indian batting as they don't have any other left-handed batter in their top five. He feels that Pant's inclusion is the right choice, given the shorter square boundaries and the abundance of left-arm bowlers in the English squad. 

"You are playing in Adelaide, short boundaries square, another reason why a left-hander should be there to disrupt the England attack. If you have too many right-handers, there is a sense of sameness to it. England have a nice attack, a varied attack of left-handers and right-handers. You need a left-hander in your team, who can be dangerous and win you a game in the back overs even if you have lost 3 or 4 wickets at the top," Shastri asserted.