3 times Dinesh Karthik failed to handle nerves at a crucial moment in IPL
Veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik is among the rare breed of cricketers to have participated across all editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to date. The 36-year-old has played 231 matches in the competition so far and made it to the final of the 2021 edition with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
He began his IPL career with the Delhi Daredevils (now renamed Delhi Capitals) and has gone on to represent the Kings XI Punjab (now renamed Punjab Kings), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Gujarat Lions (now defunct), Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Karthik has proven to be a valuable player across his career in the IPL in the middle order and his wicketkeeping skills have also made him reliable.
While he has had his fair share of good days on the field, like every player, he has not been spared from the bad ones either. While his high moments came in the form of last season which paved his way to a comeback into the Indian team, his lows have proved to be detrimental not only for himself but also for his franchise as well.
On that note. let us take a look at three instances where Dinesh Karthik failed to handle nerves at a crucial juncture of an IPL match.
#1 Major fumble behind the stumps allowing Avesh Khan to run a bye (RCB vs LSG; IPL 2023, Chinnaswamy Stadium)
In the most recent IPL encounter, Dinesh Karthik had a glorious opportunity to rescue the game for RCB off the final ball.
Chasing 213. LSG required five runs to win in the final over, with the equation being reduced to one run off the last delivery.
Drama at the Chinnaswamy, a last-ball THRILLER 🤯
#IPLonJioCinema #IPL2023 #TATAIPL #RCBvLSG | @LucknowIPL https://t.co/AIpR9Q4gFB
Tail-ender Avesh Khan missed a slower delivery from Harshal Patel and immediately took off for a single while Ravi Bishnoi did the same from the non-striker's end. However, Karthik fumbled behind the stumps and failed to gather and throw the ball in time, leading to LSG notching a thrilling win.
The veteran keeper had one glove off anticipating the move, but the nerves got the better of him as he failed to collect the ball.
#2 Missed stumping in IPL 2021 final (CSK vs KKR; Dubai International Stadium)
Kolkata Knight Riders had a dream run in the second leg of the 2021 Indian Premier League. While the competition was suspended, no one gave KKR a chance to even qualify for the playoffs.
However, Eoin Morgan led the team to the top four, where they had the difficult task of winning three consecutive knockout matches on the trot. They worked past RCB and DC to qualify for the final in their quest for their third title.
In the summit clash, CSK scored 192-3 with Faf du Plessis top scoring with 86 runs. However, KKR had the chance to dismiss the South African batter earlier. Dinesh Karthik's mishap behind the stumps gave Du Plessis a major reprieve, which he took full advantage of.
The veteran wicketkeeper oddly missed a regulation-stumping chance in the third over of the match itself. The South African batter missed a delivery from Shakib Al Hasan while stepping down the track, but Karthik was too late to react to the stumping.
He could not make up for his blunder with the bat as he was dismissed for just nine runs during the steep run chase.
#3 Three-ball duck in Qualifier 2 clash (KKR vs DC; IPL 2021; Sharjah Cricket Stadium)
As mentioned earlier, the latter half of the 2021 campaign was something out of a fairytale for KKR. Before qualifying for the finals, KKR had the task of negotiating against the Delhi Capitals, the table-toppers from the league stage in the second qualifier.
KKR restricted DC to just 135-5 in the first innings and seemingly had one foot in the final following a 96-run opening partnership. DC, however, fought back with a few wickets, sending KKR into a state of minor panic.
Being a former skipper and experienced member of the team, Karthik had the responsibility of calming things down in the middle, but the situation turned worse after he was dismissed for a three-ball duck by Kagiso Rabada at the end of the 18th over.
He was also charged with breaching the code of conduct following the game.
Will IPL 2023 be Dinesh Karthik's final campaign? Let us know what you think.