In the only game he has been picked so far, Dinesh Karthik scored eight runs © Getty

One of India's issues getting into the knockout stages of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 has been the middle-order batting. Particularly when it comes to the aspect of acceleration through the middle and end overs. After persisting with Kedar Jadhav as one of the men assigned to do that role, India shifted towards Dinesh Karthik in the game against Bangladesh, even as MS Dhoni comes under criticism for not being able to deliver the big blows at the right time.

Karthik's assessment of why it has been difficult for batsmen to get the big runs in the death overs is this "It depends first thing on the conditions. And also it depends a little bit on how many batsmen you have behind you. I think you have more freedom to play shots when you have people who can obviously play until the end.

"If you feel that it's important that you stay -- if you need to be the player to stay to the end, then you delay the inevitable and then make sure that you take on the bowlers at the stage where you feel that there won't be any loss for the team," he said and summed it up, "So, A, you need to play the conditions. And, B, obviously the skill sets of the bowler, and then you've got to assess what the situation is and what your team needs and then react accordingly."

Getting into the skill sets and tactics being used by bowlers, the latest trend in the World Cup has been the use of cutters and slower bouncers. It has become more potent as pitches have showed signs of slowing down and the weather has become warmer over the course of the tournament. On playing such deliveries, Karthik admits that it can be a challenge.

"From a batsman's point of view, a power player will probably be able to hit that ball a longer distance because [as] somebody who uses the pace of the ball that's a really hard ball to hit, basically. So, it's been a tricky ball in this World Cup, it's got a lot of wickets," he said.

Commenting on the other trend of chasing teams failing to get over the line, Karthik says, "I think it's a bit of both," referring to conditions and scoreboard pressure. "When you're batting first, it's about seeing through the initial phase when the ball is new and then you have the ability to decide what the par score is and try and get there. When you're batting second, I think the wicket changes a bit, becomes slightly slower, helps the spinners a little bit. For a lot of the teams, they're bowling cross-seam and the wicket has been a little up-and-down as well. It's not been that easy to execute shots," he says and adds, "And also this is a World Cup, so obviously there's a bit of scoreboard pressure, and I think a lot of teams have fallen prey to that as well," said Karthik who also made his World Cup debut, fifteen years after starting to play international cricket.

He managed only eight in that outing but Karthik says he's very clear about what the team management wants from him.

"When I go in at No. 7, I need to judge this -- assess the situation of the game and then play accordingly," he said. "If obviously we need to cross the line when we're batting second, then I need to pace myself accordingly. If you're batting first, then make sure we get to the par score that's required. They've made it clear that this is where I'll be batting, and my role is to make sure, whatever the situation is, assess it and do the best that I can."