Dinesh Karthik came into the IPL with a goal of returning to the national side, with an aim to feature in the T20 World Cup and help India get their hands on the trophy again after 15 years.
On Friday, Karthik came in at No. 6 in a tough situation when India did not just need someone to hold the innings together but also to play shots to get them to a competitive total on a tough Rajkot wicket. It felt like Karthik was batting on a different surface altogether as he just kept finding the gaps and placed the ball in his areas to get the maximum result.
Karthik’s 27-ball 55 was crucial to India getting to a score of 169 when 140 looked difficult and in the end, it proved to be enough. Someone, who made comeback to the national side in the twilight of his career, Ashish Nehra is not too unfamiliar with the situation and commended Karthik for the same. Nehra said that it’s never easy when you are a senior player but he made sure to score impactful runs, he plays the field and can play in both gears.
“It’s never easy for a senior player to make such a comeback. He did start off well in the series, but was in search of a big knock. While he had been scoring impactful runs, it was good to see him bat at No. 6 and score a half-century. You expect this from an experienced player. He was chosen as a finisher, but he also knows how to steady the ship when needed. The team management will be very happy with his performance” Nehra said.
“South Africa’s bowling wasn’t up to the mark when Dinesh Karthik was batting. But the reputation of a player like him forces the opposition to make such errors. More than the bowler, he is playing according to the field. When the square-leg and fine-leg were in the circle, he was looking to play over them right from the beginning,” he added.
