Manjrekar compares Dinesh Karthik to the likes of Kieron Pollard

India's renowned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has backed wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik to find a place in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2022. Karthik returned to the Indian team after three years during the South Africa tour of India. 

The batter turned the heads in the cricket fraternity during the Indian Premier League 2022. Plying his trade for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Karthik stunned the fans by smacking 330 runs in 16 matches at an average of 55 and a strike rate of 183.33.

The 37-year-old continued his exploits during his comeback series as well. When India locked horns with South Africa, Dinesh scored runs at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 158.62. Sanjay Manjrekar believes that the veteran's exemplary performance is a testimony to the value he brings to the table. 

Manjrekar reckoned that it would be hard for the selectors to ignore the wicketkeeper when they pick the squad for the T20 World Cup.

"I think there's a good chance that will happen because of him proving his worth. And that series against South Africa, especially in the last game (not the one that didn't have a result), where he was the player of the match, striking 200, was a show of his ability. So yes, he is an extremely tempting option. There'll be a few matches before the T20I World Cup, so I guess he'll have to keep reminding the selectors that he's still relevant," the former Indian batter said while speaking to NDTV. 

Though Karthik has delivered exemplary performances, the road to a permanent place in the Indian XI will not be easy. The 37-year-old will face tough competition from wicketkeepers like Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, and Sanju Samson.

Elaborating on his opinion on the same, Manjrekar added that Karthik could be the X-factor for India. The commentator suggested Pant as the wicketkeeper while Karthik can be included as a specialist batter. 

"But it's just amazing that this guy at this stage of his career has carved a niche for himself. I also tweeted about him where he is one of those rare players in fact, one of the first players in the world in T20 Cricket, who actually is a specialist kind of cameo batter down the order. He is not somebody who will bat at number three or four and generally bat at number 5, 6, and 7, and he will get a few overs. 

"It makes such an impact. Now when you have somebody batting at that position and just getting those many balls like Pollard does, or some somebody like Hardik Pandya, when he used to bat lower down, they are another string to the bow. So Dinesh Karthik actually commands a place in this team for his cameo batting. With Pant as keeper and Dinesh Karthik in the team only as a batter just tells you the kind of work that he's adding, which has been amazing," Manjrekar concluded.