India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik was seen walking off the field holding his back during their Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup against South Africa on Sunday. Hence, he is doubtful to start in their next clash against Bangladesh.
The nature of the injury isn’t known yet but Karthik was seen writhing in pain at the end of the 15th over of the South African innings. The Indian physio rushed out into the field immediately and he was seen walking off along with him. Karthik is also the oldest member of this Indian squad but he has always been supremely fit.
He is having a forgettable tournament, though. Karthik managed to score only six off 15 deliveries in the match against the Proteas, although he was involved in a 52-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav.
The injury did appear like a back spasm, though, which can happen in extreme cold like there was in Perth on Sunday. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also confirmed that it was a back injury.
“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.
Karthik enjoyed an excellent IPL 2022 season with RCB, as he amassed 330 runs at an outstanding average of 55 and a mind-boggling strike-rate of 183.33. He got recalled into the Indian T20 side as a result of his batting exploits and has been a mainstay in the lower middle-order since then.
India take on Bangladesh next in Adelaide on November 2. This will be their fourth match of the Super 12 stage. They have won two matches so far while losing one and have four points on the board. India’s NRR of +0.844 is the second best in Group 2. Only South Africa have a better NRR – +2.772.
