Former India all-rounder Gautam Gambhir seems to have dealt a fresh blow to Dinesh Karthik after the veteran wicket-keeper showed yet another failure after bat in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday. Joining senior batsman Suryakumar Yadav during India’s innings against South Africa in Perth, much was expected of Karthik.
Karthik went into bat after India were reduced to 49-5 in 8.3 overs. A Lungi Ngidi-inspired pace attack was on fire at the Perth Stadium as India lost KL Rahul (9), Rohit (15), Virat Kohli (12), Deepak Hooda (0) and Hardik Pandya (2). While many expected Karthik to take on the role of finisher and revive the Indian innings with Suryakumar, the veteran wicket-keeper batsman played a forgettable knock against the Proteas.
READ: Dinesh Karthik has been given a long rope. He has to think about the trust he has taken’: Former India bowler after veteran VC fails again
Talk to the official broadcaster Star Sports Karthik’s collision against the Proteas is unclear when Gambhir Sr hits the puck in the middle overs. “What’s Dinesh Karthik’s problem? If he faces a lot of balls, he can’t decide at what pace to bat. If he gets only 10-12 balls, he has clarity in his mind. Then he can take on the bowlers. If 7-8 overs if left, he doesn’t know whether to spin or block the shot,” Gambhir said.
Karthik smashed 6 off 15 balls in a low-scoring match between India and South Africa at the Perth Stadium. Riding on Suryakumar’s brilliant 40 off 68 runs, India managed to post 133-9 in 20 balls. However, India’s batting against South Africa paved the way for David Miller’s 5-wicket win over the 2007 world champions.
“With Dinesh Karthik’s experience, his pace and timing of the attack is very important. He can attack any bowler, he has all the shots in the book. He is also a finisher. But there are times when you attack. The team was down for 5 in the first 10 games and then his have the temperament to bat accordingly and build partnerships, go for runs with the ball and attack the bowlers at the death,” Gambhir added.
During South Africa’s innings in Perth, wicketkeeper Karthik suffered a back injury and the senior gloveman was replaced by Rishabh Pant, who kept wickets for the rest of the innings. Southpaw Pant is expected to replace Karthik in the India XI if the senior pacer fails to recover from a back injury in time. India will face Bangladesh in the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday.
“He came out at the wrong time. But even if you look before that, he didn’t look confident in that shot. He didn’t have any pace to the shot. He didn’t spin the shot. Play confident shots,” he concluded