Dinesh Karthik replaces injured Manish Pandey in ICC Champions Trophy squad

THE BCCI has confirmed that Dinesh Karthik will replace Manish Pandey in the 15-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy that is scheduled to get underway on June 1 in England.

Ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders’ game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pandey sustained a side strain that kept him out of the crucial eliminator. And now, it is learnt that the injury will force him out of the prestigious international tournament. Pandey’s last game in the India blues was against England in January early this year, where the hosts had won the game by five runs.

It is understood that Karthik, who has been roped in as Pandey’s replacement, was one of the players on standby along with Suresh Raina, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur. The Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman had last featured in an international game during India’s ODI match against Afghanistan at Dhaka in 2014. In 14 matches for Gujarat Lions, the 31-year-old scored 361-runs at an average of 36. 

India will play its first game of the ICC Champions Trophy against Pakistan on June 4.  

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