For Indian Cricket's "Most Important Player", Dinesh Karthik Picks This Star. It's Not Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Or Even Jasprit Bumrah

26.03.2023 - 08:45 sports.ndtv.com

After a rare ODI series loss at home to Australia, the Indian cricket team stars have joined or are joining their respective franchises for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

The two months of franchise T20 cricket is likely to give the Indian team management even more idea of how the players are positioned entering the World Cup-preparation phase.

One player who will be closely watch is Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya. Since the last IPL, Pandya has been doing great with the bat as well as ball and led his team to a title triumph in its first season.

Being a fast bowling allrounder, makes Pandya "unarguably the most important player" in the Indian lineup, feels India and Royal Challengers Bangalore star wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. "He is unarguably the most important player in the lineup.

cricket India Cricket Team player Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Hardik Pandya Dinesh Karthik Jasprit Bumrah Australia India Bangalore

With a penchant for making big scores, Shubman Gill could be the next big thing in Indian cricket, feels for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja. Gill, who has already scored a century at least in every format, showed his class en route to a sublime 67 off 49 balls in Gujarat Titans' six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday. After seeing his knock against PBKS, Raja suggested Gill could be the likely successor to Virat Kohli.

Not Virat Kohli Or Babar Azam! Harbhajan Singh's Super Pick For 'No. 1 Batter In The World'

The second week of IPL is living up to its reputation of being an incredible league. Between Monday and Thursday, there have been four back-to-back last-ball thrillers. Rajasthan Royals produced a stunning performance and breached fortress Chepauk by defeating Chennai for the first time since 2008. Sandeep Sharma kept his cool in the final over and defended 20 runs to give his team a famous win, preventing MS Dhoni - the finisher - from finishing it off in style. Apart from Sandeep's display under pressure in the final over, RR's spin trio of Ashwin-Chahal-Zampa bowled beautifully and Jos Buttler's gritty half-century took them to a competitive total.

Watch: Dinesh Karthik Fumbles, Misses Run-Out As LSG Claim Thrilling 1-wicket Win Over RCB

The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) produced a breathtaking contest, with the name of the winner remaining unclear until the final ball. Even when Harshal Patel had bowled the last ball of the match for RCB to LSG's Avesh Khan, the two sets of fans remained on the edge of their seats to find out what the result of the match is going to be. In the end, it was a Dinesh Karthik fumble that enabled the KL Rahul-led side to seal two points.

"Makes Us Feel Bad...": AB De Villiers Reveals Virat Kohli's "Most Annoying Habit"

Batter Virat Kohli has been an integral part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore for many years now. Making his IPL debut with it's inauguration in 2008, the former India skipper has played 225 matches for the franchise and smashed 6727 runs, with five centuries and 45 half-centuries. Over the years, Kohli has gained immense fan following not just because of his blistering performances but also for his equations with his teammates. The biggest example of this is his friendship with former South Africa star and IPL legend AB de Villiers. The duo shared an extra ordinary bond both on and off the field and took RCB to great heights.

A First For A Foreign Player In IPL! David Warner Becomes Part Of Elite Club Which Has Virat Kohli

Australia and Delhi Capitals opener David Warner completed 6,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday, becoming the first overseas player and third overall player to reach the milestone. Warner accomplished this landmark during his side's match against Rajasthan Royals at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. In the match, during a chase of 200 runs, Warner scored 65 off 55 balls. His knock consisted of seven boundaries. He was trapped lbw by Yuzvendra Chahal in the 19th over. It was his 57th half-century in IPL but it did not help his side in winning the match.

Shikhar Dhawan Puts 'Spiritual' Virat Kohli In Spotlight, For First Time Ever

Out-of-favour India batter Shikhar Dhawan has revealed that star player Virat Kohli has been inclined towards spirituality a lot in the past five to seven years. He also said that he does have conversations with Kohli regarding spirituality. It is worth noting that Dhawan has been Kohli's India teammate for a long time, however, the southpaw is currently out of the team as Shubman Gill has cemented his position as opener next to captain Rohit Sharma. On the other hand, Kohli continues to play a key role for India at the number 3 spot.