Dinesh Karthik backs Rahul Tripathi as Virat Kohli's replacement in T20Is

Tripathi was impressive in Ahmedabad T20I [Source: AP]

On Wednesday, India crushed New Zealand by 168 runs in Ahmedabad to bag the three-match series by 2-1. Opener Shubman Gill emerged as the star of the day for India, hammering a belligerent 63-ball 126*. 

Besides Gill, Rahul Tripathi was another Indian batter to grab the attention. After Ishan Kishan departed early, Tripathi set the tone for a mammoth total for the hosts through a quick-fire 22-ball 44. 

Considering his intent, veteran Indian keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik backed the Maharashtra batter to be Virat Kohli's first-choice replacement in the shortest format. 

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik opined that Tripathi should be a certain starter whenever India play their next T20I, irrespective of his performance in the IPL 2023. 

"Whatever I'm going to say now,  I don't think it's for Rahul Tripathi, it's for all cricket fans, who follow Indian cricket very closely. Please don't have temporary amnesia in the near future. I think we shouldn't forget that in 3 months time, 6 months time. Maybe he'll have a good IPL, maybe he won't but he deserves that Indian team number 3 spot whenever that comes. If Virat Kohli is not around he should be the first choice, not someone who has done well somewhere else."

In his brief T20I career, Tripathi has struck at a magnificent rate of 144.78. The 31-year-old, known for his aggressive stroke play, certainly seems to be a long-term solution to India's acceleration woes in the powerplay. 

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