India have lost an early wicket in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Semi-final 2 against England in Adelaide after being put in to bat first by England captain Jos Buttler.
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Coming on the back of back-to-back half-centuries against comparatively weaker oppositions in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, vice-captain KL Rahul continued with his knack of flopping in big matches.
Having started with a couple of maiden overs in this tournament, Rahul surprised one and all hitting England all-rounder Ben Stokes for a boundary on the first ball of the match. However, an uncertain poke at a Chris Woakes delivery with extra bounce resulted in Rahul edging the ball to Buttler behind the stumps.
In what was his fifth single-digit score in last 10 T20I innings, Rahul walked back to the dressing room after scoring 5 (5) in a knockout match.
Why DK is not playing today vs England?
Known for tinkering with their Playing XI frequently lately, India refrained from doing so on Thursday. As a result, continuing to prefer wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant over veteran wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik, whose 14 runs across three innings have come at a dismal strike rate of 63.63 in this World Cup, was left out of the Indian XI during their last Super 12 match against Zimbabwe on Sunday. Not injured by any means, Karthik hasn’t been able to pin down Pant for what would’ve been a spot in a T20 World Cup semi-final for the first time for the 37-year old player.
“With the kind of talent we have, it was a tough one [to pick the XI],” Sharma told the broadcaster at the toss before indicating how the dimensions of this stadium were better suited to a left-handed Pant.
Pant, meanwhile, hasn’t been in the best of T20 forms either. More of a punt by the Indian team management, Pant would want to end the absence of a match-winning innings in his last 10 T20I innings.
