Karthik smashed his maiden fifty in T20Is to help India level the series.
Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra heaped praise on Dinesh Karthik after he played a brilliant knock in the fourth T20I against South Africa in Rajkot on Friday (June 17).
Karthik smashed the South African bowlers all over the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot to notch up a maiden half-century in T20I cricket. With his 27-ball 55 knock, the veteran batter helped Team India to post 169/6 on the board, which the hosts successfully defended to win the fourth match by 82 runs to level the five-match T20I series 2-2 against South Africa.
With this brilliant innings, the 37-year-old cricketer became the oldest Indian batter to score a fifty in men's T20I cricket, breaking MS Dhoni's record. Meanwhile, after the match, Nehra said that it’s never easy for senior players to make such comebacks, as he lauded Karthik for his brilliant knock.
He further said that the right-handed batter’s stellar performance in the fourth match will certainly impress the Indian team management, and that he proved that he is a dependable batter in the format.
Ashish Nehra told Cricbuzz: “It’s never easy for a senior player to make such a comeback. He did start off well in the series but was in search of a big knock. While he had been scoring impactful runs, it was good to see him bat at No. 6 today and score a half-century. You expect this from an experienced player.”
He signed off by saying, “He was chosen as a finisher, but he also knows how to steady the ship when needed. The team management will be very happy with his performance.”