IPL 6: Karthik drives fear into Daredevils

Dinesh Karthik is a young veteran, or so it would seem for a man used to constantly living in wait for an elusive opportunity. Perhaps it is the sense of deprivation from living on the sidelines that spurs him towards those special performances. The man, who is perennially living under the towering shadow of MS Dhoni, turned the match on a dime to bring about the first 200+ score in the sixth season of the IPL. Mumbai was tottering at 1-2 midway through the second over after they lost Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar in quick succession, the latter to a refused single by Karthik himself.

But then the Chennai man made amends in tremendous style with a counter attack that left the spectators enthralled and his opponents dazed. By the time Karthik was dismissed in the fifteenth over, the stumper had scored a belligerent 86 in 48 balls that laid the foundation for a spectacular total of 209 for 5. The target proved beyond the struggling Delhi team, who surrendered to a tame 44-run defeat.

For someone who made his Test debut in 2004, there have been too many false dawns to believe there might be another. Karthik’s continued efforts are worth a special mention, especially considering the fact that a man of immense skills had no other choice but to warm seats around the world since his career coincided with that of the most successful captain in the history of Indian cricket. To his credit, Karthik has kept his wits about him.

Back to the contest, Karthik set about breathing life back into the stunned Mumbai crowd that fell into a deafening silence with the early departure of their two beloved legends. A brilliant cover drive off Morne Morkel’s first delivery was an early sign of a man in touch. Even then, Mumbai was only 22-2 at the end of the fifth and certainly behind the curve on a fantastic batting strip.

The onslaught took shape in the sixth over, when Karthik threatened to singe Ashish Nehra with a sudden bout of aggression. A six and two fours set the tone for the innings of the tournament thus far. Karthik’s aggression was making light of the fact that Mumbai had suffered a double blow in the first two overs. It was a risky gambit, but one that would pay off rich dividends.

Umesh Yadav, who had bowled his first over for a miserly two runs, was given the treatment by Karthik. The keeper struck three boundaries as Mumbai plundered sixteen runs in the ninth over. Karthik was utterly dominant; so much so that his partner Rohit Sharma had contributed just 12 in the 74-run partnership.

Karthik had never scored a hundred in his 121 T20 appearances, but the century seemed inevitable when Karthik struck a couple ferocious boundaries off Irfan Pathan to reach 86. Unfortunately though, Karthik swung once too many and a quick angled delivery did the stumper in when he sliced one over extra over for an easy catch in the deep.

But by then, Karthik had dented the opponent’s confidence to enable the rest of his team to run roughshod over the Devils to pile on a massive total. Delhi fell into doom straight away, when Ricky Ponting pulled off a diving blinder to leave Unmukt Chand dismissed for a second golden duck in three matches. After Jayawardene joined his young ward in the pavilion, edging to Karthik, the Devils had all but surrendered any chance of making a fist of it.

David Warner, in good nick, threatened briefly with a 37-ball 61 that contained four sixes. Mitchell Johnson foxed the powerful diminutive left hander into committing too early to a slower delivery. Warner’s murderous blade could only lob one over point and Ambati Rayudu ran in to snap up the catch and snuff out any remote chances of a recovery for the Daredevils.

On a day when the Orange Cap changed heads rather quickly – Chris Gayle had the lead briefly before Virat Kohli‘s brilliant 93* snatched it away. But even before Kohli could enjoy the colour on his cap, out stepped Karthik to take it away for the night with a cushion of 20 runs over the Bangalorean with a total of 183 runs with seven sixes, also the highest number at this stage. It is a moment in the lights that the 27-year-old richly deserves.

And if he retains his spirit and persistence, he may yet have another chance to don the whites again for India. For now, we will just have to enjoy his heroics in coloured flannels under the glitzy lights of the IPL theatre.