Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has expressed his belief that India may have overstepped by selecting five spinners for the Champions Trophy squad. The team made several last-minute adjustments, including the withdrawal of Yashasvi Jaiswal in favor of Varun Chakaravarthy, while Jasprit Bumrah's injury led to the inclusion of Harshit Rana. With Varun's addition, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma now face a dilemma with an abundance of spin-bowling options.

Senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is nearly guaranteed a spot in the playing XI following his strong performance with the ball against England. Kuldeep Yadav is expected to be a key player in the bowling lineup, particularly suited to the conditions in Dubai, while Axar Patel has proven to be a valuable asset with his batting capabilities in a flexible role.

Karthik remarked that the decision to include five spinners indicates a lack of clarity regarding the optimal team composition. 

"I believe that five spinners is somewhat excessive. They could have managed with four, in my opinion. This situation reflects a degree of uncertainty, not necessarily confusion, but rather a lack of confidence in the ideal strategy, as they initially announced a squad and subsequently added another spinner for an opener," Karthik stated in an interview with Cricbuzz.

‘Siraj could have been the ideal choice to replace Bumrah’

The selection committee has opted for Harshit Rana to replace Jasprit Bumrah, while Mohammed Siraj has been designated as a non-travelling substitute. This choice to favor Rana over Siraj has drawn scrutiny, given Siraj's consistent performance for India in the 50-over format over recent years.

Karthik, however, emphasized that while Siraj could have been a suitable replacement, the Indian team currently places greater confidence in Rana's capabilities, particularly following his commendable performances in the ODIs against England.

“If the decision were based solely on experience, then Siraj would have been the preferred option. However, I believe Harshit delivered an excellent performance against England. The Indian camp seems to hold Harshit Rana in high regard. Although there was considerable discussion around this choice, it appears that Team India is currently more supportive of Rana than of Siraj,” Karthik stated.

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