Is Dinesh Karthik the finisher that India needs?
IPL 2022 has shown us a side of Dinesh Karthik that was not seen that often as he has become one of the most consistent finishers in the game for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. With the T20 World Cup set to take place in Australia later this year, is he the finisher that Indian needs?
The Indian Premier League has entertained us over the years and even this time around the matches that have happened have been enjoyed by fans across the world. Young talents are often the players that attract the most eyeballs and often gain fame and stardom very quickly. Like other years, this year has also seen youngsters coming to the forefront and impressing former cricketers and fans. The most recent sensation that everyone is talking about is Umran Malik who with his speed has just been brilliant even if he goes for runs on some days.
The SRH pacer is just one such name there are others who have been grabbing attention. Chennai Super Kings fast bowler Mukesh Choudhary is another young Indian fast bowler who has impressed all with his performances so far in the tournament and had it not been for Deepak Chahar's injury CSK might not have even given the youngster a chance in the IPL. However, Mukesh Choudhary has grabbed the opportunity that he got with both hands and has done well in his debut season with the franchise. Another cricketer who has impressed is Mumbai Indians batter, Tilak Verma. The youngster is the only good thing going for his franchise that otherwise has had the worst IPL season in its history. The left-handed batter has played some good knocks and has shown maturity in the way he goes about his innings.
These performances that I have mentioned above have been good and in the years to come will be remembered if these young guys can continue that season after season in the IPL. But, as IPL is a platform where good performances are recognised instantly how often have you seen a cricketer who had become a "has been" in the Indian cricket setup become one of the most-talked-about players this season.
Dinesh Karthik is the man that the cricketing world is raving about and rightly so the flavor of the "IPL" season. The veteran wicket-keeper is batting on another planet it seems as if no task is too big for him. Karthik has found the Midas touch it seems and the Royal Challengers Bangalore have struck gold after buying him in the mega-auction earlier this year.
The former Kolkata Knight Riders captain had not done much in the IPL last year. Yes, his team did make it to the finals of the tournament but if you see his contributions in the last season they are not much and nobody would have imagined that Dinesh Karthik will be able to deliver like this in IPL 2022. Yet, he has wowed fans and commentators, and whenever there is an RCB game people wait for Dinesh Karthik to come out to bat. People who are watching the IPL matches on the streaming platforms must have noticed a definite spike in the number of people watching when he comes out to bat.
The right-handed batter has just smoked bowlers for massive sixes during the final stages of the innings in almost every game that he has played for his new franchise. Karthik's knocks have often been the deciding factor for the Royal Challengers Bangalore whether they bat first or second. The impact that he leaves on the game is so huge that it is almost impossible to believe if you have not watched him bat with your own eyes.
In the season so far, Dinesh Karthik has played 137 balls in the 12 matches that he has played in IPL 2022. He has scored 274 runs with the highest score of 66* and is averaging a staggering 68.50. The more phenomenal thing this season about his batting is his strike rate which is at 200.00. This 2.0 version of Dinesh Karthik seems to have a lot of clarity about the way that he wants to go about his innings.
Karthik looks self-assured and confident this season about his game. He exactly knows what kind of shots he needs to play whenever he walks out to bat irrespective of the match situation. The veteran wicket-keeper batter's self-belief that he can take on any bowler in the world in any situation is also working for him.
The performances that he has given so far have made fans, as well as former cricketers, talk about his chances for the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to take place in Australia in the month of October. India needs someone who can finish games for them in a tournament like the T20 World Cup. Since MS Dhoni's retirement, India has consistently been searching for a finisher and have tried multiple players on that spot. From Hardik Pandya to Venkatesh Iyer and Rishabh Pant everyone has batted at that spot.
But when in a tournament like the IPL you see Dinesh Karthik smashing the bowlers and finishing games for his IPL team it opens up options for the selectors. It is a good headache to have if they start looking at Dinesh Karthik in the finisher's role. Rohit Sharma the captain of the Indian team and Rahul Dravid the head coach will be closely looking at what Karthik is doing.
He is showing that he has the experience and can handle big-match pressure with ease. The kind of form and class that is on display only makes his case stronger in the coming days. Whether or not he goes to Australia only time will be able to tell. But the kind of performances that he is giving at one of the toughest spots while batting makes him the finisher that India needs in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.
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