2018 Nidahas Trophy Final: Dinesh Karthik's astonishing onslaught is SK Turning Point of the match
When the 2018 edition of the Nidahas Trophy was announced, not many would have anticipated the sheer excitement that the T20I tri-series would go on to generate. Following a nail-biting and acrimonious clash on Friday, the tournament ended on an exhilarating note as India pulled off a stirring last-ball triumph in the riveting final against an emotionally drained Bangladesh outfit.
From being in control of the proceedings for the vast majority of the contest, India threatened to crumble under the relentless pressure applied by the Bangladesh bowlers. When the match appeared to be well out of his team's reach, Dinesh Karthik found the perfect time to play the innings of his career.
Coming into the pulsating arena at number seven, Karthik hammered an unbelievable 8-ball 29 to propel India to a memorable four-wicket victory. When he walked into the middle, the 'Men in Blue' had needed 34 runs from the last two overs. What followed was one of the best cameos in the brief history of T20Is.
Rohit dismissal allows Bangladesh to claw back
Chasing 167 on a fresh surface at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, skipper Rohit Sharma enabled India to get off to a sparkling start. The elegant right-hander's flurry of big hits left his counterpart Shakib Al Hasan in a predicament. In particular, the opener's assault against the inexperienced Mehidy Hasan Miraz would later turn out to be extremely crucial in the scheme of things.
After the early dismissals of Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina, Rohit seemed to find a suitable ally in the talented KL Rahul. Having got himself in, the 25-year old threw his wicket away by playing a needless pull shot. At the half-way mark, India still needed 83 more runs.
Bangladesh showed enormous resolve by clawing their way back into the contest. Looking to keep Rohit away from the strike as much as possible, they piled pressure on a lackluster Manish Pandey.
Pandey's sluggish start forced Rohit to attempt an extravagant shot. However, the captain onle managed to hole out to the long-on fielder. Eager to prey on India's largely untested lower middle-order, Bangladesh prevented the batsmen from finding the boundary. A stretch of four overs (11 to 14) fetched only 20 runs.
Having been promoted up the batting order, Vijay Shankar failed to latch on to the opportunity. He struggled to put bat to ball and aggravated India's concerns. Fortunately for the 'Men in Blue', Pandey registered a few boundaries to prevent the required run-rate from reaching unmanageable levels.
Considering the fact that the off-spinner conceding 17 runs in his first over, skipper Shakib preferred the medium pace of Soumya Sarkar over Mehidy Hasan in the death overs. Bangladesh pulled ahead when Mustafizur Rahman sent down an impeccable 18th over. The left-armer's control of length as well as changes in pace saw Vijay Shankar swinging and missing at thin air.
Ice-cool Karthik fires India to pulsating victory
With Mustafizur conceding just a solitary leg-bye in his final over, the equation boiled to 34 runs from the last two overs. The seamer added to India's woes by removing Pandey from the equation. Rubel Hossain, who had figures of 2/13 from his first three overs, lurked in wait.
Having been inexplicably demoted in the batting order, Karthik began by smashing a six in the very first ball that he faced. Upon anticipating Rubel's plan of targeting the block hole, the wicket-keeper batsman converted the yorker into a low full toss by standing outside his crease.
Despite the batsman in sync with his thought-process, Rubel continued to search for the fuller length. However, Karthik made him pay for the slightest of errors by plundering a boundary and six. With the first three deliveries evoking as many as 16 runs, the match was back in the balance.
Karthik completed the penultimate over by successfully executing an audacious scoop shot. As the fine leg fielder was in the ring, he went down on one knee and lifted the ball in a nonchalant manner.
Even though 12 runs were required from the last over, Bangladesh were under the pump. The combination of Karthik's sudden onslaught and a substantially vocal crowd had rattled them. Possessing not much options, Shakib relied on Sarkar to bowl the all important final over. He was reluctant to turn to the off-spin of Mehidy in the pivotal moment of the encounter.
The decision almost worked in Bangladesh's favour as Sarkar parted with just three runs from the first half of the over. Shankar finally connected and pierced the gap through the third man region. However, he perished in the penultimate ball.
Requiring four for a Super Over or six for an outright victory, a visibly unruffled Karthik held his nerve and got underneath a fuller one from Sarkar. As the audience watched on with bated breath, the ball went sailing over the cover boundary. While the Indians charged into the arena in exultation, the Bangladesh team sunk to their knees in agony.