IND vs SA | Dinesh Karthik has been a point of difference, says head coach Rahul Dravid

Dinesh Karthik's inclusion in India's squad for the five-match T20 Internationals (T20I) against South Africa did not surprise anyone after the former's showing in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Karthik was preferred ahead of Sanju Samson, who did well with the bat and gloves.

With Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan in the running, Karthik has a lot of stiff competition for that one coveted spot.

According to NDTV, head coach Rahul Dravid, ahead of the first T20I on Thursday, stated that the management will be keeping a keen eye on Karthik.

"With Dinesh, it is pretty obvious and very clear. He has made a comeback based on the skills that he has shown in a particular phase of the game,"

"The phase of the game that Dinesh, at the back-end, has really been able to show skills over the last two or three years, he has been able to be a point of difference for whichever team that he has played," Dravid explained.

He further added that Karthik's role for India is no different than what he does in franchise cricket.

"I see that as no different (in Team India). That's why he has been picked. He has been picked to bat in that kind of position and see whether he can replicate those kind of performances for India as well," the former India captain said.

This series sees a lot of youngsters in place, with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah being rested. Dravid, who believes in giving consistent chances to players, said that seniors can't play all the games with the ICC T20 World Cup just around the corner and otherwise.

"We want to ensure that they are fit for big tournaments, and we have to manage them before that to ensure that they are peaking at big games and tournaments. We understand that there are times when we will have to rest our big players and will be able to probably field our best side all the time,"

But from my perspective, this is also exciting for other youngsters to get opportunities to play. It helps us improve the depth of our side. So there are some positives that come out of such situations," the 49-year-old concluded.

India will be captained by KL Rahul, while Pant will act as his deputy as the Indian side look to avenge the defeat at the hands of South Africa last year during their overseas tour of the said nation.