Dinesh Karthik was 6 off 9 balls at one stage. For a batter who has been scoring at a strike rate of 190 in the entire tournament and specialised in notching up 25-plus scores in his sub-10 balls innings so far, it was bound to be frustrating. But Karthik, expectedly turned things around. He hit Lucknow Super Giants bowler Avesh Khan for a hat-trick of fours in the 17th over to get his innings going. Two off his boundaries through the off side were a coach and photographer's delight. The Royal Challengers Bangalore veteran, however, saved the best for Dushmantha Chameera in the penultimate over. He used his anticipation and strong bottom hand to the best effect by depositing a Chameera low full toss deep into the Eden Gardens stands.
To get an idea about the greatness of Karthik's that particular shot, one simply had to look at the reactions of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. The former RCB captain, who was sitting in the dugout, jumped out of his seat to applaud that six from Karthik. While Rahul, the fielding captain, had disbelief written all over his face.
Watch Video: Virat Kohli and KL Rahul give amazing but different reacctions to Dinesh Karthik's six
The onslaught continued as Karthik and Rajat Patidar put on 92 runs off just 41 balls for the fifth wicket to lift RCB to 207 for 4, batting first, in the IPL 2022 Eliminator match against Lucknow Super Giants.
{{/usCountry}}The onslaught continued as Karthik and Rajat Patidar put on 92 runs off just 41 balls for the fifth wicket to lift RCB to 207 for 4, batting first, in the IPL 2022 Eliminator match against Lucknow Super Giants.
{{/usCountry}}Karthik remained unbeaten on 37 off 23 balls but the star of the night was uncapped Rajat Patidar. He slammed his maiden T20 hundred and blasted 112* off 54 balls with 12 fours and 7 sixes.
Patidar and Karthik's partnership helped RCB go a step closer to the IPL final as the 208-run target proved a bit too much for LSG despite a half-century from captan KL Rahul.
RCB won the match by 14 runs to knock LSG out and book a spot in the Qualifier 2 with Rajasthan Royals for a place in the final.
"I have been timing the ball and that was the focus, instead of powering the ball. In the last over of the powerplay, when I was facing Krunal Pandya, the way I could execute my plans, I felt I could score big today. My focus was about cashing in on the opportunity and looked to play with the straight bat and time it. I don't come under pressure even after facing dots because of the ability I know I have. I wasn't picked up in the auction but was involved in my practice and that helped," said player of the match Patidar in the post-match presentation.