India vs Windies: Numbers reveal Dinesh Karthik thrives under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy

After India’s top-order was wrecked by Windies pacers, Karthik stitched crucial partnerships with Manish Pandey and Krunal Pandya to see the team home.

Dinesh Karthik played a match-winning knock to help India win the first T20I against Windies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to illustrate his importance in the team in the shortest format.

File: India's Dinesh Karthik, right, catches the ball as teammate Rohit Sharma looks on during the team practice. (AP)

After India’s top-order was wrecked by Windies pacers, Karthik stitched crucial partnerships with Manish Pandey and Krunal Pandya to see the team home.

This is not the first time when Karthik has helped India win a match from tough position in T20Is in 2018 as in Nidahas Trophy final, he single-handedly clinched victory from the jaws of defeat against Bangladesh.

Both the times, it was Rohit Sharma who was leading the side and not regular-skipper Virat Kohli. Karthik seems to thrive under the leadership of Rohit and incidentally, he has scored most number of runs under his captaincy.

So far, Karthik has played 10 T20Is under Rohit and has scored 152 runs at an incredible average of 152.00, which is the best by far compared to other skippers.

Apart from this, Karthik has been simply invincible in Asia as no bowler has been able to dismiss him in the nine innings. However, this was his only second 30+ score in the continent.

Karthik has excelled at the number six position and acts as the perfect foil to the explosive Indian top-order by playing the role of a shield whenever needed. He has scored 124 at number six with an average of 124.00 and has been dismissed just once which was way back in ICC WT20 2007.

While he has been in and out of the squad, DK knows that he is a senior member of the team and his job is to ensure that he absorbs pressure in chases and tricky situations to take the team home.

“That’s my role here — when there’s pressure, absorb the pressure, try and help the team win. As a senior player, that’s my role in the team. At the same time, play confident cricket. It was important that the good bowlers were seen through,” he signed off.