3 reasons why Dinesh Karthik's knock in the Nidahas Trophy final is his most defining innings
On this day in 2018, Dinesh Karthik played one of the best T20I innings of all time in the Nidahas Trophy final between India and Bangladesh. India were on the verge of losing a massive title match against their in-form neighbors at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. However, Karthik's brilliance in the slog overs helped India win.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field first in the Nidahas Trophy final against Bangladesh. A brilliant 50-ball 77 from Sabbir Rehman helped Bangladesh post 166/8 on the board in their 20 overs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz played a handy cameo of 19 runs from seven balls in the end.
Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the bowlers for Team India. He bowled four overs, scalped three wickets and conceded only 18 runs. His three scalps were Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim.
Chasing 167 for the win, India got off to a great start thanks to skipper Rohit Sharma's half-century. However, Bangladesh made a comeback and reduced India to 133/5 at the end of 18 overs. India needed 34 off 12 balls when Dinesh Karthik came out to bat at number seven.
Karthik smacked Rubel Hossain for two sixes and a four in his first three balls. He eventually ended up scoring 22 runs from that over. Soumya Sarkar bowled the last over, with India needing 12 for a win. Sarkar brought the equation down to five off one ball, when Karthik smashed a maximum and guided India to a famous win.
In this listicle, we will look at the three reasons why the 29*(8) against Bangladesh was Dinesh Karthik's most defining innings.
#1 Dinesh Karthik won the Man of the Match award for just playing 8 balls
T20I cricket is all about impact, and Karthik's performance in that match against Bangladesh proved why the shortest format to the game belongs to impactful players.
The match between India and Bangladesh lasted 240 balls, and the player who faced just eight deliveries ended up winning the Man of the Match. It is quite rare to see a player win a Man of the Match award for scoring less than 30 runs and facing less than 10 balls, and it highlights Karthik's impactful performance.
#2 Dinesh Karthik came out of MS Dhoni's shadows
For a long time in his career, Karthik was considered as a backup option for MS Dhoni. Even in the Nidahas Trophy, Karthik got a chance as Dhoni was not playing. The Tamil Nadu-based wicket-keeper made the most out of the opportunity and cemented his place in the team.
Karthik remained a regular part of India's playing XI in T20Is for the rest of the matches played in 2018 and in early 2019 as well.
#3 More than 200 million people have watched Dinesh Karhik's batting performance
Karthik's excellent finish in the Nidahas Trophy final is among the most-watched cricket videos on YouTube. Sri Lanka Cricket posted two separate clips of the 19th and the 20th overs of that game.
You can watch the videos here:
The 20th over has got 237 million views, while the 19th over has been viewed 144 million times on the platform. It is one thing to perform well and another to attract enormous viewership numbers because of a performance. This eight-balls innings established Dinesh Karthik as a hero in Indian cricket.