After playing a superb cameo knock of unbeaten 25 runs off 14 balls to secure the brilliant victory for India against Australia in the Adelaide ODI, the Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik claimed that the team wants to see him as the finisher of the team.
Chasing down the 299 runs target to level the three-match ODI series, Karthik came to bat after the Indian skipper Virat Kohli was dismissed on 104 runs when the visiting side India needed to score 57 runs in 38 balls with six wickets in hands.
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To secure the victory, Karthik provided the unbroken 57-run partnership for the fifth wicket along with the set batsman MS Dhoni who played the brilliant unbeaten knock of 55 off 54 balls. Their partnership helped India to win the game by six wickets with four balls remaining.
It was Dhoni’s second consecutive half-century in this ODI series as he scored 51 runs during the Sydney ODI where he was given a wrong lbw out.
Talking about him and Dhoni’s partnership to secure the victory in Adelaide ODI, Karthik said, “I think Dhoni’s been pretty solid this series. It was the kind of innings he’s played over and over again. So, it was great to watch him bat and finish off an innings. We know he can absorb pressure and release it back to the opponents when the time is right. That has always been his strength and today you saw the perfect example of that. He knew his plans and I knew my plans and we were just complementing each other.
“He doesn’t think there are ten overs and how to score in them, but he thinks about how the bowler is bowling now and that’s all he thinks.
“Dhoni and I knew that we were just one hit away in the last over, so we were not tense. Even the bowler knew they were under pressure as he has to execute six great balls to stop us from scoring. One mistake he made, we would have pounded on him and the first ball he hit a beautiful six which kind of sealed the deal.”
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Talking about his personal role in the national team, Karthik said that the team wants him to bat at number six, where he can take the finishing role of the game.
Karthik said about himself, “I’ve practiced it (finishing games), worked on it and it’s a skill I think is very important. It’s a skill where you need to have a cool head. A lot of experience helps. This is probably one of the hardest skills in the game. To finish a match and be on the winning side is something that is great to be a part of.
“Definitely, the team management has told me this is the role for me right now. And they want me to do the best I can. They are backing me completely. They have told me that this is where I’m going to bat, and this is what they expect out of me and I’m trying to achieve that.”
Also watch: MS Dhoni Finishes The Things Off In Style In Adelaide
Due to the hot condition during the Adelaide ODI, as the game was played in 41 degrees weather, Dhoni faced some cramp issues. Karthik jokingly added that he made it difficult for him by taking a lot of runs.
He said, “It was a very hot day. Everybody tried to have as many liquids as you could but still he was going through a lot of cramps. The fact that he was batting for a long, long time didn’t help either. And with me being there, I run a lot. I run twos and threes and pushing him. So, it was that much more harder for him. I think next we play together, he’ll prefer somebody else there who can hit a boundary or two. It was good, batting with him after a long time and it felt good.”
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Talking about their top fitness level even in the tough conditions, Karthik praised the Indian team trainer Shankar Basu for pushing every player.
The Indian senior cricketer said, “Our trainer Mr Basu is best in the world. He knows exactly when to push and when to keep an off day. He is the best strength and conditioning trainer going around in the world. He has a lot of knowledge and he pushed us exactly as per that.
“Whoever is coming from injury, they are properly fit. In the last ten years I have worked with Basu, he is an amazing trainer and a lot of credit should go to him.
“I am sure fast bowlers can be given much more detail because they have worked a lot with him. There is difference in bowling 130 and 140 km/hrs. He makes sure that happens because we are very scientific in our training methods. He tracks everything including the amount of running we do. We have this vest which has GPS in it and gives us data on how much we are pushing ourselves. It’s very detailed and systematic, so lot of credit to him.”
