T20 World Cup: Injured Dinesh Karthik could miss Bangladesh game
What's the story
Wicket-keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik could miss India's upcoming ICC T20 World Cup Super 12 game against Bangladesh scheduled at the Adelaide Oval. Karthik suffered a back injury in the game against South Africa in Perth. After managing a 15-ball 6, Karthik left the ground in the second innings with pain in his back. Rishabh Pant replaced Karthik for the rest of the match.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Karthik was seen in pain at the end of the 15th over as India attempted to defend 133. The wicket-keeper held his back before he was on his knees. The physio immediately rushed to attend check his status. Karthik was seen leaving the field thereafter. During the post-match conference, pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar confirmed that Karthik has sustained a back injury.
Match
Will Karthik play against Bangladesh?
India will next take on Bangladesh in their third Super 12 clash on Wednesday. It remains to be seen if Karthik gets fit for that clash. India have Pant in the reserves, who has a terrific record in Australia across ODI and Test cricket. Opener KL Rahul can keep wickets too, but Australian wickets could challenge him throughout.
Struggle
Karthik struggled with the bat against SA
Karthik struggled with the bat against South Africa. He came to the middle when India were tottering on 49/5. The right-handed batter scored just 6 off 15 balls. He couldn't score any boundary in the match. The Proteas pacers perturbed him with pace and bounce on the Perth track. Karthik fell for 1 against Pakistan in the final over.
Revival
How Karthik revived his international career
Karthik revived his international career with some stellar performances this year. He scored 330 runs in 16 games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. His average and strike rate were in excess of 50 and 180, respectively. Karthik has scored 280 runs from 27 T20Is this year. The selectors have preferred Karthik over Pant due to the former's strike rate (141.41) this year.