Dinesh Karthik's Bold Call For Team India Revamp For Next WTC Cycle, Want THESE Young Players In Squad

In a disappointing turn of events, India fell short of their aspiration to win a global tournament once again during the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC). Australia emerged victorious, defeating the team led by Rohit Sharma with an overwhelming margin of 209 runs. This marked a decade of India's drought in ICC tournaments, as their last major triumph was the 2013 Champions Trophy.

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While the immediate focus now shifts to the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be held in India in October-November, the attention of Indian cricket stakeholders has also turned towards the 2023-25 WTC Cycle. While it is commendable for India to have reached two consecutive WTC finals, their ultimate goal remains to lift the trophy in 2025. However, reaching the final itself will not be an easy feat. With several Indian players in their mid-30s, a transition period becomes imperative. Dinesh Karthik, the veteran wicketkeeper, has called for a revamp of the red-ball cricket team, urging the selectors to grant debuts to three uncapped players.

Karthik expressed, "I think a bit of both. In many ways, we know that a lot of them are in their mid-30s. So few questions there for Rahul Dravid, who he wants to keep and who he wants to move on with. Now other names that you said, Bumrah, Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Pant. Iyer will walk into this team. Let's make it very obvious. I think they warrant a place in the team. In this cycle, they have been one of the key reasons why we are sitting here and talking in England today because that's the kind of success they have helped India achieve," Karthik stated on Cricbuzz.

He continued, "No. 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal. He has had a phenomenal domestic season. Are we going to find a place for him? No. 2 Sarfaraz Khan. Now that's been a big name doing the rounds for some time now in the middle order. If you want to fit him in, who are you going to leave out and then followed by the Mukesh Kumars and the rest of them, is there a place for a new medium pacer to come in and stamp his authority over a period of time? Are you going to give him that two-year cycle?"

Despite his exceptional record in first-class cricket, Sarfaraz Khan is yet to receive a call-up for the Indian team, leaving many in the cricket fraternity puzzled. Jaiswal and Mukesh were selected as part of the three-man reserve list alongside the 15-man squad for the WTC final. Although Ruturaj Gaikwad was not mentioned in Karthik's list, the opener remains a strong contender. Gaikwad was initially included in the reserve player list but had to withdraw due to his wedding, which opened the door for Jaiswal's inclusion.