Last Update on: November 6th, 2022 at 01:40 pm
The semi-finals are guaranteed for Rohit Sharma & Co. On Sunday at the MCG, they will play Zimbabwe with one change to their starting lineup. For the final Super 12 Group 2 game, Dinesh Karthik has been replaced in the starting XI by Rishabh Pant.
Karthik was substituted in for Pant for the match against Zimbabwe due to the veteran’s underwhelming performance.
After meeting Zimbabwe in the third and last game of the day, India will conclude their Super12 stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue have already qualified for the semi-finals and will look to maintain their lead. If they win, they will finish first in the standings.
India has been in good form in the current tournament and will go into the match against Zimbabwe as a favorite. So far, India’s sole defeat has come at the hands of South Africa. Virat Kohli has been the pivot of India’s batting and the team’s leading run-scorer, with three half-centuries.
Suryakumar Yadav, who has scored some important runs and batted with a strike rate of above 170, has supported him. KL Rahul produced the game-winning half-century against Bangladesh, and before the crucial semifinal, he will want to keep up his momentum against Zimbabwe.
Arshdeep Singh has made some significant breakthroughs for the Men in Blue with the ball, and a lot will depend on him. Dinesh Karthik is anticipated to keep his berth against Zimbabwe, as the team management is not anticipated to make many changes.
Rishabh Pant plays instead of Dinesh Karthik: Rohit Sharma
“One change, Rishabh Pant plays instead of DK, he is the only guy who hasn’t played a single game on this tour including the warm-up games, we wanted to give him a game. Nothing changes, we need to do well as a team” Rohit Sharma remarked during the toss.
Dinesh Karthik hasn’t performed up to the standards set, receiving scores of 1, 6, and 7. He has only faced 22 balls, but he is in Australia to make rapid runs. He was ready to face Bangladesh, but a misunderstanding with Virat Kohli led to his dismissal. Apart from the support of the team management, DK does not currently have much to show for it.
Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, has been working hard to make a comeback. Even against Bangladesh, he was expected to replace Karthik, who had a back injury. However, Team India chose Karthik over Pant because he recovered in quick time.
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant(w), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
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