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Reports suggest that veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is doubtful for India's next outing of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia on Wednesday, October 2 in Adelaide. The 37-year-old suffered from back spasms during India's loss to South Africa, forcing him to leave the field during the last five overs of the game.
The injury to the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could pave way for Rishabh Pant's entry into the playing XI. Pant kept wickets from the 16th over till the end of the game against the Proteas on Sunday after Karthik was forced to leave the field.
The extent of his injury has not yet been revealed but the cold conditions of Perth, where India played their third match, could have played a big role in causing this kind of niggles.
"Karthik felt pain in his lower back. We haven't heard about the severity of his back spasm. The medical team is working to get him fit as heat treatment and massaging help reduce the discomfort, quickly. So don't rule him out yet," reported PTI ahead of their match against Bangladesh.
After catching eyes with his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, Karthik made a comeback to the national team and earned his way into not only the 15-man squad as well as the playing XI for India.
And having started all three matches, Karthik has had an underwhelming tournament so far, scoring one run against Pakistan and six off 15 balls against South Africa. He did not bat against the Netherlands.
Karthik is India's designated finisher but was unable to cope with the pace and bounce at the Optus Stadium in Perth. He was unable to support India's star batter on the night, Suryakumar Yadav. His contribution during their 52-run stand was a source of much criticism.
The Indian coaching team has also faced some flak for keeping a counter-attacking player like Pant out of the side. In Test matches, Pant has enjoyed stupendous success in Australia. He is a better player of horizontal bat shots as compared to Karthik.
(With PTI Inputs)
