Published 20:01 IST, April 22nd 2020
Dinesh Karthik reflects on being frustrated before Nidahas Trophy 2018 final heroics
Dinesh Karthik did a Javed Miandad in the final by smashing Soumya Sarkar for a six over extra cover off the final ball, helping India lift the trophy.
The 2018 Nidahas trophy final saw Team India look down and out and was on the cusp of losing the final to Bangladesh. The Men in Blue needed some magic to get their hands on the trophy. It was Dinesh Karthik who put up his hand and delivered a match-winning performance. First, he scored 22 runs in the 19th over bowled by Rubel Hossain and then with five required off the final delivery, Dinesh Karthik did a Javed Miandad by smashing Soumya Sarkar for a six over extra cover off the final ball, helping India lift the trophy.
Dinesh Karthik speaks on his Nidahas Trophy heroics
During an interview with Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik revealed that when he walked into bat in the final, he definitely had a plan in mind. He said that when he went into bat, he felt strongly that he could go and win the match. He further said that he was able to win the match, having practised in that situation before. He also added that different bowlers, different pitch and different conditions in practice, helped him in believing that he can get the job done.
Also read: Rohit Sharma Was Unhappy That CSK Met Them In The IPL 2015 Final: Ex-MI Spinner J Suchith
Dinesh Karthik also revealed that he was just frustrated when being pushed to No.7 in the batting order. He added that he had remained not out in the tournament having batted at No 5 and suddenly being pushed to No.7 made his mind muddled. Dinesh Karthik was full of praise for Rohit Sharma during the interview, calling him one of his well-wishers in the side.
Dinesh Karthik on being promoted to bat during 2019 World Cup semi-final
During the chat show, Dinesh Karthik also revealed as to how he was taken aback when being asked to bat at No.5 ahead of MS Dhoni in the World Cup 2019 semi-final. Karthik said that the Indian team management had made it very clear that he would be batting at No.7, a place at which MS Dhoni eventually batted, much to the surprise of fans. India had lost openers Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli quite early in the match so Karthik was told to pad up and was promoted to stop the flow of quick wickets.
IPL: Dinesh Karthik to lead Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik was all set to lead KKR in the upcoming IPL 2020 tournament before it was postponed. During the IPL 2020 trading window, Dinesh Karthik was retained by KKR for ₹7.4 crore ($1 million). The IPL 2020 was initially scheduled to start on March 29 with KKR scheduled to play their opening match on March 31. However, due to coronavirus, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) first rescheduled the tournament to April 15 and recently, the BCCI decided to postpone the tournament until further notice after the India lockdown was extended to May 3.
Updated 20:01 IST, April 22nd 2020