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'Luckily, Dinesh Karthik was born in India. If he belonged to Pakistan...': Former captain takes brutal dig at PCB
Dinesh Karthik on Friday made waves with his unbeaten 41 off 19 balls and an unconquered seventh-wicket partnership of 52 runs with Ravichandran Ashwin.
Dinesh Karthik once again aced the finisher's role as he produced a 19-ball 41 whirlwind, helping India set a target in excess of 190 in the Twenty20 series opener against West Indies on Friday. At 37, the seasoned wicketkeeper-batter shows no signs of ageing, with the upcoming World T20 being his prime objective.
Karthik, who made his debut way back in 2004, was a part of the Indian teams that won silverware in the 2007 World T20 and 2013 Champions Trophy. But seems that the fire is still burning bright for the veteran. Captain Rohit Sharma smashed 64 against the Caribbean side but Karthik made waves with his unbeaten 41 off 19 balls and an unconquered seventh-wicket partnership of 52 runs with Ravi Ashwin, who hit 13 not out.
Karthik has presented a strong case for the finisher's spot at this year's World T20. He also earned praise from former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt, who even slammed his country's cricket board (PCB). "Luckily, Dinesh Karthik was born in India. At his age, he can’t even play domestic cricket if he belonged to Pakistan," said Butt on his YouTube channel.
“Youngsters are playing very well for India. They are damn serious about their bench strength for years to come. They have constructed an amazing team. Shubman Gill was quite impressive [in ODIs]; Dinesh Karthik is playing as a finisher (in T20Is). The batsmen in between like Suryakumar Yadav improving day by day, Shreyas Iyer is available. Arshdeep Singh is bowling well. Overall, there is plenty of talent.”
The spotlight will be on Karthik, as India look to continue the winning run after a comprehensive win in the first Twenty20. The second game is at Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, on Monday with a third match at the same venue on Tuesday. The last two matches of the five-T20 series will be played at Lauderhill, Florida.
On his performance in the first Twenty20, Karthik said that his ultimate aim is to lift the title in Australia. He also credited the Rohit Sharma-led Indian unit for adding calmness to the current setup.
"These are the small tick boxes that we need to have at this stage of the game but the ultimate goal is to do well in the T20 World Cup in Australia," Karthik told his teammate Ashwin on BCCI TV.
"I think this is a very different team and I am enjoying this set up. There is a great sort of calmness that is around the captain and the coach, a lot of credit must go to them," he added.
