Ravindra Jadeja is enduring a lean patch with the bat in ODI cricket lately.
Karthik's comments came after Jadeja's failure during India’s unsuccessful chase of 266 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Super 4 clash on Friday (September 15) in Colombo.
The senior all-rounder threw his wicket away for just 7 in the 38th over when the team needed him to support centurion Shubman Gill from the other end.
After Jadeja’s dismissal, Akshar Patel (42 off 34 balls) tried his best to take his team over the line but it wasn’t enough as India’s innings folded for 259 in 49.5 overs.
"And Ravindra Jadeja, for his batting. For some time now, he has been phenomenal in Test cricket, very very effective, and trustworthy. But in the white-ball formats, he hasn't been at his best with batting. He is a key player. Whenever he has done well for India, take the 2013 Champions Trophy, take any tournament India has done well, he has been a very critical performer and he needs to step up with the bat. In case, he doesn't have a great game with the ball, India can still manage. But if he is not scoring runs with the bat, it could be an issue for Team India," Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Akshar, who is also part of India's 15-member World Cup squad, has played two matches in the ongoing Asia Cup and claimed only one wicket.
"The one area where the Indian team will be a little bit concerned is both the left-arm spinners, for different reasons. Akshar Patel, for his bowling. On this pitch, he hasn't produced enough venom that he is capable of in both the matches he has played," he added.
India will take on Sri Lanka in the final of Asia Cup 2023 on Sunday (September 17).