Manish Pandey out of Champions Trophy; Karthik to replace

Middle-order batsman Manish Pandey, who picked up an injury during a training session with the Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday, has been ruled out of next month’s Champions Trophy, a release from the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Thursday.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik will replace the Karnataka player in the 15-member squad. Pandey was in fine touch for KKR in the Indian Premier League, having scored 396 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 128.57.
“The All-India senior selection committee has named middle-order batsman and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as the replacement for Manish Pandey –– who sustained a left side strain during a practice session –– in the India team for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy,” the release said.

Karthik, who was in the stand-by list, enjoyed a good domestic season. The Tamil Nadu batsman, with 607 runs from nine matches at an impressive average of 86.71, was the highest run-scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.