Veteran keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has been making a lot of news these days, because of all the amazing reasons. DK has been going strength to strength ever since he made his return to the Indian set-up after three long years. His finishing abilities and crucial cameos had earned him a call from the Indian national cricket team.
Karthik once again aced the finisher’s role in the T20 opener against West Indies last week, as he scored a breezy 41 not out off just 19 deliveries and was instrumental in India’s win over Windies in the 1st T20I.
Kris Srikkanth Refused To Call Dinesh Karthik A Finisher
While DK is close to cementing his place in the Indian squad for T20 World Cup 2022 as a finisher, former Indian captain and former national selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth refuse to call DK a finisher.
Kris Srikkanth reckoned that Karthik isn’t a finisher at all and some people actually have the wrong definition for the finisher’s role.
Srikkanth said that DK can’t be called a finisher as he gives only final touches, as he believes that someone who takes the game deep and wins the game for the team should be called a finisher. Speaking on FanCode, Srikkant said: “Your definition of a finisher is wrong. Yes, Dinesh has been doing very well. He has been brilliant in the IPL and a few matches here. But that is not a finisher! A guy who can take the match from 8th or 9th over and finish it can be called a finisher.”
He added, “What Dinesh is doing can be called final touches. Take Suryakumar Yadav. We saw that he almost single-handedly won the match in England. That’s the finishing role. Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant are finishers… and our captain (Rohit) can open and play till the 17th over in 12th gear is also a finisher.”
Srikkanth signed off by saying, “An actual finisher doesn’t play between 16-20 overs. A finisher is a guy who takes the match along from 8th or 9th over and eventually finishes with 60-odd runs. Dinesh’s role is defined. He is doing fantastic but he is fine-tuning the finishing role instead of actually being a finisher.”
Dinesh Karthik, who made his debut for India way back in 2004, was recalled to the Indian side after his exceptional performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League 2022. He gave brilliant performances with the bat, making some crucial cameos and scoring 330 runs from 16 outings.
