Dinesh Karthik developed a minor back injury for which he’s out of the India vs Bangladesh match in the T20 World Cup. Rishabh Pant is set to take his place and play in Adelaide. In India’s game against South Africa, he left the pitch midway and Rishabh Pant played in his place.
“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 helps reduce the discomfort, quickly. So don’t rule him out yet,” a senior BCCI official reported
T20 World Cup 2022: Dinesh Karthik out of Playing XI due to back spasm, Rishabh Pant takes his place
In the last game against the Proteas, Dineh Karthik developed the injury mid-way and left the game. Rishabh Pant took his place and completed the duty. The cricketer was supported as the physiotherapist to the national team Kamlesh Jain helped him to return from the field.
“He had some issues with his back and I didn’t meet him after the match. I’ll talk to him once we go back to the hotel and wait for the physio’s report,” teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar said at the press conference.
Rishabh Pant has a high chance of playing the next game as well. Indian opener KL Rahul is not in his best form and is struggling to score good runs. The selectors have built the squad in terms of the batting order. Dinesh Karthik returned as a finisher and wicket-keeper, taking Pant’s place.
KL Rahul’s score in the three matches of the T20 World Cup looked like 4, 9, 9. Even if Dinesh Karthik returns, there’s a possibility that Rishabh Pant replacing KL Rahul due to the batting conditions.
India’s defeat against South Africa paved their way to the top. India and Bangladesh are at 4 points but a run rate of +0.844 gave the men in blue an advantage. if Bangladesh wins the match, they will gain two points and their journey to the semi-finals will become a lot easier. If India wins, they will have a game against Zimbabwe, before qualifying for the finals.
The next game is very crucial for India, and the team management has to take some tough calls.
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