England vs India: Gautam Gambhir would've had Karthik in place of Raina in the first ODI

The Indian team is currently playing the first ODI of the three-match series against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. After a thumping 2-1 victory in the T20I series, the Men in Blue would be hoping to replicate their form in the series. Ahead of the match, there were some conundrums pertaining to the team selection, one of them was who among Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina should play.

Last month Ambati Rayudu, who was stupendous in the IPL, was picked in the squad. However, he failed the yo-yo test and Suresh Raina made a comeback to the team after three years. Dinesh Karthik also performed well in the T20 tournament and was roped in for the ODIs on English soil. In the end, it was Raina who got the nod over the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman.

I would’ve had Dinesh Karthik

Karthik was also a part of the five T20Is India played in their tour of the United Kingdom (UK). Gautam Gambhir, the 36-year old cricketer from Delhi, mentioned that he would’ve gone for Karthik in place of Raina for the opening match. The discarded Indian cricketer also supported his choice with appropriate reasoning. Moreover, he hailed Karthik as a batsman who gives more choices and flexibility to the Indian batting lineup.

“Probably, I would’ve had Dinesh Karthik in place of Suresh Raina and in the kind of form he is in, I would’ve picked him in the fifty-over format. Obviously, Suresh Raina is a little more destructive in the 50-over format, but I wouldn’t have gone with him,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“Karthik gives you more solidity, he gives you more options, to be honest. He is a much better overall player when it comes to spin and fast bowling and he can be destructive at the latter half of the innings as well,” the left-handed batsman added.

[interaction id=”5b470e0977f0ec280c57a828″]

For more news and developments, stay tuned on CricTracker.com.