"I’d be surprised if he’s not in Indian Team" - Ricky Ponting backs Indian star as "finisher" in upcoming T20 WC

Dinesh Karthik has certainly impressed everyone with his new avatar he showed in the recently concluded season of the Indian Premier League. He emerged as the successful finisher and best striker among some hard-hitting players. Karthik did an amazing job for RCB, batting down the order and finishing games.

He scored 330 runs in 16 matches at an average of 55.00 and an incredible strike rate of 183.33. His hardwork  paid off as he got his callback into the Indian team for the five-match T20 series at home. Many ex-cricketers and cricket pundits have urged that the veteran wicket-keeper batsman should be present in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

The World Cup-winning Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has also come up in this regard and shared his views. In a discussion with Isa Guha on The ICC Review, Ponting said, "I would have him, and I’d have him in at that five or six role."

He also praised the veteran wicket-keeper and said that the way he finished games in the IPL took him to another level. Ponting also highlighted that in this tournament, a team wants their big players to set up and win at least three or four games for their team, and if you can get that from the player, that is considered a really good season.

The former Australian skipper also added that Karthik was the player that had the biggest impact on the team's performance. He named a few players, and he pointed out the performances of a few big names from the Royal Challengers Bangalore setup.

Pointg said that Virat didn't have a great season, Maxwell started well, and skipper Faf du Plessis also had an on and off season, but DK was the most impactful player. He concluded, "I’d be surprised if he’s not in there (India) line-up somewhere."

The veteran wicket-keeper is currently playing against South Africa, and it will be interesting to see what impact he will have in an Indian kit. But as per his performance in the IPL, he is certainly a candidate for a place in the T20 World Cup as a finisher along with Hardik Pandya.