Dinesh Karthik: I have no doubt that India will qualify for T20 World Cup semi-finals

Dinesh Karthik. Picture/ AFP

Indian wicket-keeper and batsman Dinesh Karthik is all geared up for the upcoming T20 World Cup which will begin in October.

Karthik, who has his healthy share of T20 experience leading Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, feels that cricketers who played in the Indian Premier League will definitely have added T20 experience over the past decade or so and will be of great help for the upcoming tournament.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports Show Game Plan: ICC T20 WC SCHEDULE, Team India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik shared his thoughts on India's chances at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and lavishes praise on Hardik Pandya.

"I think it is 14 years that have gone by - it's very interesting to know that it has been that long - I think that also means 14 seasons of IPL, so basically, we have a lot of T20 experience in that team. Every guy there has played 150, if not 200 matches of T20, which should give them enough data to take from every time they had a big moment, and that's what you require, experience to handle those big moments and hence I have no doubt that they will qualify to the semi-finals. The question is, on that big day - like it happened a few years ago in Bombay - somebody turns up and does well, what are you going to do someone special," said Karthik.

"And from India, through the tournament, if they have to find ways of pushing themselves, there are a lot of key players, but I would like to single out this man, who is in the middle of it all - Hardik Pandya. He bats at No.6, he has a job to do every time he comes in, he has the potential to take the game away in the whiff of a breath - that how good he is. So, again with ball, he is very good with it, he is very handy, he can bowl at 85-87 mph, but also mix in the slower ones. Over the period of time, he has shown the mind - what's between your ears they say - to be very strong, very calculated and he is somebody who can come and deliver on slow wickets very well, and that's one of his strengths, so I am looking forward to him as a gun fielder as well - we've got a few good fielders there. So, yeah, I think India has it in them overall. Fingers crossed, they go all the way," he added.

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