BAN vs IND 2022: “So courageous” – Dinesh Karthik hails injured Rohit Sharma after India captain's fighting knock in 2nd ODI

Dinesh Karthik has praised India captain Rohit Sharma for leading from the front despite suffering an injury in the second ODI against Bangladesh on Wednesday, December 7.

Rohit suffered a thumb injury while attempting Anamul Haque’s catch in the second over of Bangladesh's innings. The India skipper didn’t return to the field until his team was 207/7 in the 43rd over, chasing 272. He smashed an unbeaten 51 off 28 balls, but Bangladesh won by five runs.

Rohit Sharma ensured that a seeming lost cause for India turned into a potential win as he brought the equation down to a six needed off the last ball. However, Mustafizur Rahman's yorker didn't allow Rohit to hit another big one and the hosts scraped home.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said:

“It was so courageous and good of him. So good to see him on screen. He’s the captain and showed what it means for him to play for the country and lead from the front. Very valiant effort, but, in the end, the better team won the series.”

Meanwhile, India head coach Rahul Dravid has confirmed that Rohit will miss the third ODI. Speaking at a press conference, the former India captain revealed:

“Rohit Sharma will miss the 3rd ODI. He will fly back to Mumbai to consult an expert – Kuldeep Sen and Deepak Chahar are out of the series.”

Dravid added that whether Rohit Sharma will be able to come back for the Tests is not yet ascertained:

“Not sure about the participation of Rohit Sharma in Tests.”

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“Stats wouldn’t lie” – Dinesh Karthik hails Shreyas Iyer

Dinesh Karthik also hailed Shreyas Iyer for his fighting knock in the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh. He pointed out that the right-hander has been consistent for the Men in Blue in the 50-over format this year.

“Stats wouldn’t lie. KL Rahul has been India’s most consistent and the highest run-getter for India in ODIs this year. The way that he has played over a period of time has been phenomenal. He’s good. You can see that confidence."

He continued:

"One day cricket is something that is right up his alley. He likes that he can take a few balls and then start launching. Terrific player of spin.”

Iyer smashed 82 off 102 against the hosts in a must-win game that included three sixes and six boundaries. He stitched a 107-run partnership with Axar Patel for the fifth wicket to revive India from a precarious position at 65-4.

So far, he has scored 721 runs in 14 innings at an average of 51.50 this year, including a ton and six half-centuries.

Dinesh Karthik, however, felt that Iyer missed out on a well-deserved century, which would have made the difference in the build-up to the 2023 World Cup.

“He’s a man on the mission and wants to be there for the team at the end. He looked good and dominated right through the time he was batting. He didn’t give up.

"He almost took India to a safe place, but if you want to make a name as a player like Virat Kohli, these are the kind of games that you want to be 120-130 not out. That makes a big difference.”

KL Rahul-led India will play a dead rubber against Bangladesh on Saturday, December 10. After that, the Indian team would play a two-match Test series against the Bangladesh team. Who leads India in Rohit Sharma's potential absence in Tests remains to be seen.