Saba Karim, former Indian selector and wicketkeeper-batter, has explained why Dinesh Karthik failed to deliver the way he is currently performing with the bat in the past.
Karthik has been playing as a finisher in the T20I team since making his comeback to Team India on the back of a stunning outing in the IPL 2022, and Karim feels the clarity given by the team management is the major reason behind his brilliant performance at the highest level.
The veteran batter is currently on the West Indies tour and played an unbeaten knock of 41 off 19 balls to yet again help India beat the hosts by 68 runs in the first T20I last week and earned him a Player of the Match award as well.
As reported by India News, Saba Karim stated: “When Dinesh Karthik used to bat up the order a couple of years back, we were all wondering why he wasn't able to perform, despite the potential. He was failing back then because there was no clarity regarding his role.”
He continued, “He had no idea when he had to play the big shots, or when he had to take the singles. He has a clear role now and that is why his performances have improved significantly. The management has assigned this specific role to him and they have been consistently sending him in such situations.
It doesn't matter which position he is batting at, his job is to only play three or four overs. He has done his preparation according to this plan, and that's why he has been successful.”
Explaining how the T20I format helped Karthik, the former national selector noted: “Batting in T20 cricket doesn't depend on overs, it is about the number of balls that you play. While making strategies, teams tend to focus on how many balls a batter is going to face in a match.”
Karim signed off by saying, “Dinesh Karthik's role is to go out there in the last 2-3 overs and score quick runs. This is why if he plays the most number of balls during that period, it will benefit the team.”
