Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Dinesh Karthik for performing well in international cricket. Karthik has scored 92 runs in four innings in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa as he returned to the squad after a stealer IPL 2022. His match-winning 55-run knock, which came off just 27 deliveries in the fourth T20I in Rajkot, has earned praise from all cricket experts and fans as well.

However, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra chose Ishan Kishan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as India’s two best performers in the T20Is against the proteas. While selecting Karthik at No. 3, the veteran said: “At No. 3, I have kept Karthik. Batting is tough at the number he bats. The way he has played, he has been brilliant. It has been a very long career, Dhoni’s entire international career got over in between, but DK is still there.”

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Aakash Chopra also added that Dinesh Karthik is shining in the most difficult role now. Chopra explained: “The hunger is coming to the fore, the game plan, just the clarity about how he is going to play. He plays slightly in an unorthodox fashion, but that is what is required to be done in the death overs. A specialist death batter is a very difficult role, there is no other role more difficult than this in the world.”

However, he has also shared that Karthik’s performances are putting pressure on Rishabh Pant, who led India in the recently-concluded five-match T20I series. But he has been going through a tough time with the bat and he will have to perform consistently with the bat to secure his spot in India’s World Cup squad as well.

Aakash Chopra has also picked Harshal Patel as India’s fourth-best performer. He has picked up 18 wickets in the 13 T20Is he has played for Team India so far as well. His career-best figures of 4/25 as well.

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“At No. 4, I have picked Harshal Patel. His first match was not good, he was hit in the first match. But after that, he has picked up seven wickets at an economy of 7.23. Seven wickets in a four-match T20I series, I will say thumbs up.” Aakash Chopra concluded: “He is not your rapid fast bowler. He is not Umran Malik, Prasidh Krishna or Avesh Khan, but he is clever. He knows where to bowl the deliveries. He gets hit in an odd match but he bounces back strongly and he is a thinking cricketer.”