Former Indian opener, Gautam Gambhir has come hard on the batting approach of Dinesh Karthik in a game against South Africa in Perth on Sunday, saying the veteran wicket-keeper batter should have more clarity when he bats in the middle overs. Karthik played a scratchy knock of 15-ball 6 against South Africa in their Super 12 match of T20 World Cup 2022 on a pace-rich pitch at the Optus Stadium.
Gautam Gambhir said it’s important that a batter of Karthik’s experience has clarity about how to deal with difficult situations and not just be focused on doing the finisher’s role. Gambhir added that the senior wicket-keeper batter did not look confident or rotated the strike during his 52-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav, questioning the timing of his dismissal.
India was reeling at 49/5 after Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat in Perth against South Africa. Lungi Ngidi’s stunning burst with the new-ball saw India’s big guns, including captain Rohit, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, fall cheaply. Karthik gave Suryakumar a lending hand but the senior wicketkeeper fell in the 16th over when trying to play a big shot against Wayne Parnell. Suryakumar hit a 40-ball 68 not out but with a lack of support from the other end, India reached a target of 133.
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During a chat on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir said, “If he (Karthik) gets a lot of balls to face, he is not able to figure out the tempo at which he has to bat. If he gets just 10-`12 balls, then there is clarity in his mind. He is then able to take on the bowlers. If there are 7-8 overs remaining, then he doesn’t have clarity over whether he should rotate the strike or block. With the experience that Dinesh Karthik has, it’s important that he figures out the tempo and the time to attack.”
He further explained, “He can attack any bowler, he has all the shots in the book. But there are situations when your team is 5 down in the first 10 overs, then does he have the temperament to bat accordingly and build a partnership, go at run-a-ball and give yourself a chance to attack the bowlers at the death? He got out at the wrong time. He didn’t have any tempo to his batting. Neither did he rotate the strike nor did he play confident shots.”
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Dinesh Karthik suffered a back injury during South Africa’s chase in Perth on Sunday and walked off the field. Rishabh Pant took the gloves in the second half of the South African chase. It remains to be seen if Karthik will be fit for their next Super 12 match against Bangladesh on Wednesday, November 2 in Adelaide.
