"If Virat chooses not to play T20Is"- Dinesh Karthik picks an Indian star who can replace Virat Kohli at No. 3

And there are a number of players who couldn't even get their chance to represent the country despite being deserving players. Rahul Tripathi is also one such name that hasn't gotten the number of chances he deserved, but whatever the games he has played, he has impressed everyone with his fearless and selfless cricket.

In the limited chances he has gotten, Tripathi has played some brilliant cameos at No. 3 in T20Is. However, he also knows that once Virat Kohli is back in the shorter format, it will be him who has to make way for the former Indian skipper.

Meanwhile, veteran Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik reckons that Tripathi could be an ideal player to replace Virat at No. 3 in T20Is if the 34-year-old chooses to stay away from the shorter format. Karthik played with Tripathi for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and knows what a selfless cricketer he is.

In a discussion on Cricbuzz, Karthik said, "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 chooses to play okay but if Virat Kohli is not around he should be the first choice, not someone who has done well somewhere else."

Notably, Tripathi didn't have a great performance in the first two T20Is, but he didn't change his fearless approach in the third game and played a brilliant cameo of 44 off 22 balls. That's what DK highlighted and said that Tripathi's career was on the line, but he didn't change the way he bats, and that's what the captain and coach want from him.

Furthermore, Karthik said that India needs such players who can perform in big matches, and players like Tripathi, who play such fearless cricket, are just like gold dust because they can win you games irrespective of the situations and pressure.