"He should sit back and think about it"- Pragyan Ojha on Dinesh Karthik's dismissal against SA in T20 World Cup 2022

Former left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha felt that Team India just didn't have enough runs on the board, and believes experienced batters like Dinesh Karthik should have shown better application at the crease against South Africa at Perth.

Suryakumar Yadav was going all guns blazing at one end and added 52 runs with Karthik for the sixth wicket. However, DK scored just six off 15 balls and was dismissed while trying to slog across the line.

Speaking to India Today, here's what Pragyan Ojha had to say about Dinesh Karthik's knock:

"I had already said that they have a strong middle order and we were a few runs short. That's where I feel the trust that was shown in Dinesh Karthik, he should sit back and think about it because had he stuck around with Suryakumar Yadav, we could have got those 15-20 extra runs and then it could have been a different ball-game altogether."

Former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar also agreed with what Pragyan Ojha had to say and felt that experienced players like Karthik should have shown better application. He added:

"I think, Karthik getting out at that stage. I am not blaming them, I am saying generally saying that apart from Suryakumar Yadav, nobody played the kind of cricket with the experience that they had that would have helped us get those 15-20 runs more."

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South Africa played to the situation; India didn't: Pragyan Ojha

Pragyan Ojha credited the South African middle-order, especially Aiden Markram and David Miller, for showing great game awareness and chasing down the target smartly against the Men in Blue.

India were right on top when the Proteas lost three quick wickets in the powerplay. However, Markram and Miller first consolidated, and then changed gears at the right time, reaching the target rather comfortably. On this, Ojha stated:

"India will be pleased that they took the game to the last over. But i feel South Africa's middle-order played to the situation, while we didn't. That's why I spoke about Dinesh Karthik, because you want your experienced batters to step up in these crunch moments, exactly what David Miller did."

The Men in Blue will be keen to bounce back in their next game against Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.