With 10 needed off the last over, Team India’s all-new finisher Dinesh Karthik, who hadn’t faced a ball till then, smashed a six followed by a four to finish the proceedings in the rain-shortened second T20I against Australia in Nagpur on Friday.
Captain Rohit Sharma lit up the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium with his unbeaten 46 from 20 deliveries with the help of 4 fours and as many sixes. But Karthik grabbed the eyeballs with his 2-ball cameo, where he managed to take India home in their chase of 91 in eight overs with four balls to spare.
From the famous Nidahas trophy final heroics to under-pressure fireworks in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and now striking from the word go in his comeback to the Indian side, Karthik has cemented the faith shown at him as a newly designated finisher for the Men in Blue. But how does the right-handed batter pull off such jaw-dropping performances in crunch situations? Well, Karthik has himself explained the routine work he often does to make himself ready to fire in any given situation.
Karthik mentioned that he does a lot of scenario practice under the guidance of batting coach Vikram Rathour and head coach Rahul Dravid. The 37-year-old said he only pays attention to certain shots and doesn’t overdo his practice.
“Over a period of time, I’ve been practising for this, I’ve been doing it for RCB now, and I’m happy doing it here. So it’s a consistent routine for a period of time. I do a lot of scenario practices, and also Rahul (Dravid) bhai and Vikram (Rathour) bhai has been accommodating of how I want to practice and what are the kinds of shots I want to practice. I have been very specific with it. I don’t practice too much, but I like to keep it as specific as possible,” said Karthik in the post-match presser.
Karthik also heaped praises on his captain Rohit’s spectacular innings, stating the ability of Rohit to play fast bowling is just incredible and makes him a truly special player.
“Rohit Sharma played brilliantly. I got two balls, so I just tried my best there. To play such shots against the new ball, against top-class new ball bowlers, is not easy. It shows why Rohit is such a big player in world cricket, not only Indian cricket. His ability to play against fast-bowling is second to none, and that is what makes him truly special,” added Karthik.
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