India vs England T20 World Cup semi-final: Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik, who will make it to playing 11?

T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final India vs England: Rohit Sharma’s team is all set to face England in second semi-final at the Adelaide Oval. But a key question remains -- Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik, who will make it to Rohit Sharma's playing 11? 

Dinesh Karthik played the first 4 of the 5 Super 12 matches before Sharma introduced Rishabh Pant against Zimbabwe. Both have not played any extraordinary innings so far.  

As per experts, Sharma may opt for Pant for this crucial semifinal match mainly due to two reasons. The first reason is the dimensions of the Adelaide Oval, and the second is Pant's track record against England.  

But many feel Sharma’s job selecting the wicketkeeper would be difficult as both are not in great form. While Pant failed to perform against ZImbabwe, Karthik has been poor with the bat in the other games, scoring 1, 6, and 7 in the three matches where he got the opportunity to bat.

Earlier while choosing Pant for the match against Zimbabwe, Sharma had said being a left hander, he has some edge over Karthik.

“It was also a tactical move because we wanted to give a left-handed batter a chance to tackle New Zealand and England spinners in the middle overs. Both Pant and DK (Dinesh Karthik) are in the fray to play tomorrow’s semifinal,” Rohit Sharma said during the pre-match press conference in Adelaide on Wednesday (November 9).

Experts speak

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has clearly said that Pant is a better choice because of his outstanding performance against England in the past.  

"Karthik is a lovely team player. But when it comes to a game against England or New Zealand, just seeing their attack, I think you need a robust left-hander who can turn it on, and is a match-winner and a left-hander," Shastri said after India's victory over Zimbabwe on Sunday.

Highlighting Pant's impressive performance against England, Shastri said: "He has done well against England. He recently won a match on his win against England, a one-day game. I would go with Pant, not just because he played here, but because of the X-factor angle, he can bring to the semi-final."

Even former Team India bowler Ashish Nehra wants Team India to stick to Rishabh Pant as their first-choice wicket-keeper in their T20 World Cup semi-final against England highlighting that Karthik’s performance was not up to the mark this tournament.

He said Pant has an exceptional record against Adil Rashid, which could come in handy for the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup semi-final. In T20Is, Pant enjoys a decent record against Adil, with 55 runs in 33 balls.

India vs England in semis

India had finished top of Group 2 with 8 points in 5 matches and a net run rate of 1.319. England were second in Group 1 with 7 points in 5 matches and a net run rate of 0.473. The winner of Thursday's match will face Pakistan in the final at MCG in Melbourne on November 13.