Rohit Sharma showed what it means for him to play for the country and lead from front: Dinesh Karthik

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik hailed India skipper Rohit Sharma’s gritty approach of coming out to bat against Bangladesh with an injured thumb during the second One-Day International against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday, December 7.

Karthik said that Rohit, with his courageous move, showed what it means to represent the country and lead the team from the front. At the same time, he also added that overall Bangladesh were the better side and therefore they went on to win the series.

It was so courageous and good of him: Dinesh Karthik

“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,” said Dinesh Karthik while speaking to Cricbuzz.

The third ODI is scheduled to be played on Saturday, December 10, but unfortunately, Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the game. Apart from the skipper, pacer Kuldeep Sen and bowling all-rounder Deepak Chahar have also been ruled out. Sen was benched for the last game due to a back stiffness that he had suffered after the first ODI while Chahar pulled a hamstring in the last match and could only bowl three overs.

Rohit Sharma injured his thumb while fielding at the slips. He seemed to be in deep discomfort after dropping Anamul Haque’s catch and left the field immediately for medical attention. He was taken to the hospital for scans and did not open the innings for India as Virat Kohli was the makeshift opener along with Shikhar Dhawan.

Later, Sharma returned to bat in the 43^rd over at No. 9 and scored a blistering unbeaten 51* off 28 deliveries. He almost took India home single-handedly before Mustafizur Rahman’s yorker on the final delivery prevented Rohit from getting the last six runs as the hosts won by five runs.