IND vs SL: Rohit Sharma on the decision to play Rishabh Pant in place of Karthik 

Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik (PC: Twitter)

Rohit Sharma has finally put all speculations to rest by disclosing the reason behind opting to bring Rishabh Pant in place of Dinesh Karthik in the Playing XI of the Asia Cup 2022. 

There has been constant debate since Karthik received a national call-up after blistering performances in the IPL 2022. 

The cricket fraternity was divided between Pant and Karthik for the all-important T20I World Cup 2022. Although they both played together against Hong Kong a week ago, the team's combinations and plans changed from the subsequent fixture. 

During both appearances in the ongoing Asia Cup, Karthik could face only one ball and was dropped from the Super-four game against Pakistan. 

On the other hand, after not getting to bat against Hong Kong, Pant has returned with knocks of 14 and 17 against Pakistan and Sri Lanka respectively. 

In this regard, Sharma revealed that the only reason Karthik is out of the team is due to Pant offering a variety of being left-handed, which can hamper the bowler's rhythm due to the left-right combination. 

"We just wanted a left-hander to bat in the middle, that's why DK is out. We just wanted to take the pressure off the batters, who are batting with that left-hander, but unfortunately, it didn't happen for him. By no means, DK is out of poor form. 

"We want to have some flexibility in the group, and we would be changing these players depending upon the opposition"

Further, the 35-year-old added that the team will be making appropriate changes, to attain flexibility, when they face different oppositions. 

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