IND vs WI 2022: “Ideally, we would like to close out the series with a win” - Dinesh Karthik on team goals for 4th T20I
Veteran keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has stated that one of the main objectives of the Indian team in the fourth T20I against West Indies would be to seal the series with a win. He admitted that the Men in Blue will have to quickly adapt to conditions in Florida, something they failed to do in the second T20I in St Kitts.
India and West Indies will meet in the fourth T20I of the five-match series in Lauderhill, Florida on Saturday (August 6). The Indians are 2-1 up in the series, having won the first and third T20Is.
The visitors’ only loss in the series came in the second match in St Kitts, when they were bundled out for 138 as Obed McCoy claimed six for 17.
Speaking ahead of the fourth T20I, Karthik said about the India’s goals:
“Ideally, we would like to close out the series with a win.” He added, “We all know how good West Indies is. But one of the key things being told to us is the fact that when we went to St Kitts, in the first game, we probably didn’t adapt to the conditions as quickly as we would have wanted."
He continued:
"Here in Miami, we are going to try and make an effort to understand the conditions and then the situation and try to put up a good performance.”
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Team India began the T20I series with a match in Tarouba, Trinidad before shifting to St Kitts for the next two clashes. They will conclude the tour with two games in Florida.
Asked about the challenges of playing in different conditions, Karthik responded:
“One of the key things that Rohit (Sharma) and Rahul (Dravid) bhai have spoken about in this series, at the start, has been adaptability. Understanding the situations, that is something we have done pretty well so far.”
After suffering a shock five-wicket defeat in the second T20I, India came back well to clinch the third match by seven wickets and claim a 2-1 lead in the series.
“The wind will be a massive factor” - Dinesh Karthik on the challenge of playing in Florida
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Team India do not have a lot of experience playing in Florida. They have taken on the West Indies in four matches at the venue till date. On the kind of conditions and challenges he expects, the 37-year-old said:
“In Miami, I think the wind will be a massive factor. Even though it is a sport which is played with a heavy ball, a lot of times, the wind dictates where you play the shots because it tends to carry to the fielders and not cross the boundary line. On the other hand, it helps you hit bigger sixes than what you have actually hit. It works both ways.”
Of the four matches India and West Indies have played in Lauderhill, the Men in Blue have won two and lost one, while one game produced no result.