Dinesh Karthik reveals how he planned this famous knock against Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy 2018 final

During the Nidahas Trophy final in 2018, there was a point when Indian fans had almost stopped thinking about a win. Bangladesh had put India under enormous pressure during the run chase. However, Dinesh Karthik came in and smashed a few boundaries which turned the match completely. His knock of 29* runs from just 8 balls helped India dramatically seal the game and win the trophy.

Talking about the final against Bangladesh, Karthik recalled that he had a plan when he went in to bat. He revealed that it was the practice which he had done that helped him during the game. He also said that knowing what exactly was required to achieve helped him to win the match for India.

“When I went in I definitely had a plan. This is where practice helps you. You go over and over something and then you hit an auto mode. Going in knowing what you need to do gives you a better chance of achieving what you want to”, the 34-year-old said in an interaction with Cricbuzz.

“When I went in I believed I could do it and that set me up for what I needed to do to achieve it. That is when the programming sort of happened as to where he would bowl and where I would stand and which gap. If you want to be consistent as a finisher that is how you must think and that is how I programmed the entire innings,” he added.

Dinesh Karthik reveals the mindset of a finisher

During the interaction, Dinesh Karthik described himself as more of a touch player than a powerful hitter of the ball. Upon being asked how players like him plan situations like these or try to become a better finisher, the KKR skipper revealed the trick. He said that players generally try to hit the ball in the gaps or try predicting where the bowler is going to bowl.

“We look to either get the gap or predict what the bowler is trying to do. So when you practice for long and watch enough videos and take into account factors like which side has the shorter boundary or what the bowler is going to do the chances of consistently doing what you are looking to do increases,” he further added.

India needed 34 runs off 12 balls when Dinesh Karthik walked in to bat in the final of the Nidahas Trophy. He scored 22 runs off the 19th over of the match. Soumya Sarkar bowled really good five deliveries and India needed five runs from the last ball. Sarkar missed the wide yorker by a margin and Karthik smashed the ball through the covers for a flat six. India won the match as he discovered a new role for him in the Indian team.