In a major blow to the Indian team, the wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik suffered a back injury in the game against South Africa and he is now doubtful to play the vital game against Bangladesh. The veteran wicketkeeper sustained a back injury in the Super 12 contest between Men in Blue and the Proteas at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday.
With the race to the semifinals heating up, India and South Africa locked horns in the 30th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and asked Temba Bavuma & co. to bowl first. His decision didn’t prove to be a fruitful one as South Africa dismissed the top half of the Indian batting for 49 runs inside the first 9 overs.
At this point, Suryakumar Yadav alongside Dinesh Karthik stitched a vital partnership of 52 runs for the 6th wicket. In the end, India posted a final total of 133/9 in 20 overs. However, South Africa chased down the total with five wickets in hand courtesy of some brilliance from Aiden Markram and David Miller.
Dinesh Karthik walks off the field with a back injury
The veteran wicketkeeper could be seen writhing in pain at the end of the 15th over of the South African innings. The 37-year-old was down on his knees as he clutched his back. The physio came out to attend to the wicketkeeper but Dinesh Karthik had to walk off the field. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant came out as the substitute wicketkeeper and took care of the gloves duty for the rest of the match.
At the same time, the pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar shed some light on DK’s injury in the post-match conference.
“I know he had some back issue. Obviously, the physio will give a report and we will have more clarity after that,” Bhuvneshwar said during the post-match media conference,” said Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
While the exact nature of Karthik’s injury is not yet known, a report from the PTI suggests that the Indian wicketkeeper is likely to miss India’s next game against Bangladesh. India will be squaring off against Bangladesh on the 2nd of November at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
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