Blunt assessment of Dinesh Karthik's India star's failures
The Indian cricket team laid out an uninspiring performance in Centurion, suffering a devastating defeat by an innings and 32 runs against a markedly superior South Africa in the opening Test on Thursday. India was beset with a relentless pace and caught off-guard with an unpredictable bounce. South Africa have now clinched an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series, dashing India's hopes of securing a Test series victory in the Rainbow Nation for the first time in 31 years.
India's veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has insisted that Gill's position in Tests has now come under scanner, stating there will be pressure on him to make a mark in the final Test, which starts on January 3.
Karthik said, “Shubman Gill is the big question mark here. He has not lived up to the expectations that people have. I think even he would be aware that if you are going to average mid-30s or early-30s after having played 20 Tests, then you would consider yourself to be a bit lucky to be around. His place will definitely be under the scanner if he doesn't have a great test match in the next one.
The wicketkeeper-batter, “The only middle-order name that we are missing out on is Sarfaraz Khan. I have no doubt that he will make it to the squad much sooner than he thinks right now. Other than that, you do not have any other names doing the round in the middle order right now. Rajat Patidar is a very, very strong name that I think they will be looking at very soon.”