Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis on Sunday (May 8) said he was considering ‘retiring out’ so that in-form Dinesh Karthik can get a chance to bat in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Karthik arrived in the middle after the dismissal of Glenn Maxwell in the penultimate over and the veteran wicketkeeper tore apart the SRH attack during his brief stay at the crease.
Karthik smashed 30 not off 8 balls with 1 four and four sixes, propelling RCB to a massive 192/3 in their 20 overs.
“If he (Dinesh Karthik) is hitting sixes like that, we want to get him in and bat as long as possible. He's just so clear. To be honest, I was actually trying to get out because I was so tired, to get DK in. We were even contemplating - myself 'retiring out'. And then, we lost that wicket.
“DK is in such good form. It was a tricky wicket. A lot of guys, their first few balls, they struggled. Lucky for us, there was a drop catch of DK and he just took them apart,” Du Plessis, who scored 73* off 50 balls, said at the post-match presentation.
The RCB captain also showered rich praise on leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who returned with remarkable figures of 5 for 18 in his four overs, to secure a thumping 67-run victory for RCB against SRH.
For his stunning spell, Hasaranga earned the Player of the Match award.
“Really happy for Wani, personally he was looking for that one match where he blows right through a batting line-up. He's been threatening with that right through the campaign, very happy that tonight was that night. He's obviously one of those special bowlers.
“If you're not picking him, especially once you get to the lower-order batters, he can run through you very quickly. Wani is doing exceptionally well. I am glad that I could play a role today in making sure that we can get some runs on the board,” Faf said.
RCB will take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their next match at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on May 13.
