Karthik played a match-winning knock in the first T20I against West Indies.
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has showered rich praise on veteran India batter Dinesh Karthik while taking a subtle jibe at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Karthik’s firework in the slog overs allowed the Indian team to register a 68-run victory over West Indies in the first T20I in Trinidad on Friday (July 29).
After losing the toss and being put into bat first, India’s skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front and slammed a half-century (64 off 44 balls), his 27th in T20Is, and also became the highest run-scorer in the 20-over format.
Despite losing a couple of wickets quickly in the middle overs, the visitors were able to post 190/6 in 20 overs because of Karthik's whirlwind knock of 41* off just 19 balls at an unbelievable strike rate of 215.79.
In reply, the home team was restricted to 122/8 in 20 overs thanks to a spirited performance by the Indian bowlers.
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Salman Butt remarked on his YouTube channel that Karthik, who is now 37, cannot even play domestic cricket in Pakistan.
“Luckily, Dinesh Karthik is born in India. At his age, he can’t even play domestic cricket in Pakistan,” he said.
Butt also acknowledged the incredible bench strength of the Men in Blue. In addition to praising Karthik's batting acumen, he also hailed the youngster Shubman Gill for his outstanding performance in the three-match ODI series against the same opposition.
“Youngsters are playing very well for India. They are damn serious about their bench strength for years to come. They have constructed an amazing team. Shubman Gill was quite impressive [in ODIs]; Dinesh Karthik is playing as a finisher [in T20Is]. The batsmen in between like Suryakumar Yadav improving day by day, Shreyas Iyer is available. Arshdeep Singh is bowling well. Overall, there is plenty of talent,” the former cricketer added.
The second T20I will be played in St Kitts on Monday (August 01).
(TIMES NOW INPUTS)