Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'They had Kohli, Rohit. But selectors decided 'keep him for last 4 overs'': Jadeja delivers blunt verdict on India star
The seasoned player was part of the Indian teams that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
India extended its winning streak on the tour of the West Indies with a 68-run victory on Friday in the Twenty20 series opener at Trinidad. The visiting team, led by Rohit Sharma's 44-ball 64 at the top of the innings, put on 190-6 on the board. While the Indian skipper laid the foundation for a competitive total, Dinesh Karthik made headlines for his blistering display towards the end. Karthik hit an unbeaten 41 off just 19 balls and stitched an unconquered seventh-wicket stand of 52 with Ravichandran Ashwin.
Karthik's contribution earned him the player-of-the-match award. The 37-year-old may be checking all boxes since his return to the national fold, but his main objective is to make his presence felt at the World T20 in Australia. Karthik, who made his debut for India way back in 2004, has strengthened his case for the finisher's spot at the showpiece event.
Speaking about Karthik's role in the current set-up, former player Ajay Jadeja explained how the Indian think-tank has gone with the veteran stumper for the last four overs. Though Jadeja isn't a fan of assigning specific roles to players, he lavished praise on Karthik's perseverance, saying the fire is still burning bright for the seasoned cricketer.
"Interesting this is that he came even before MS Dhoni and hung on for so many years. The most impressive thing about him is his perseverance. Many people leave cricket at this age. But he worked on his game and thought, 'What is it that I can do the best', and decided to play the last four overs," Jadeja said on FanCode.
“The Indian team has got so much talent for every position. They had players like Suryakumar, Rohit, Virat, Hardik, and Pant, but the selectors kept Karthik for the last four overs. Kudos to Indian cricket for this thinking but I feel you don't assign roles to your players. The game won't be running according to your terms.”
"But I have immense respect for Karthik and his love for the game. At 37, doing commentary is easy for him but he instead chose to follow his passion," he added.
Karthik was part of the Indian teams that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. He reiterated his desire to lift this year's World T20.
"These are small tick-boxes that we need to have at this point. But the ultimate goal is to do well in the T20 World Cup," Karthik told 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."
