‘Was waiting for such a moment’- Dinesh Karthik recalls his herculean knock in the Nidahas Trophy Final

Dinesh Karthik, the Indian wicketkeeper, recently went down the memory lane and talked about his stupendous knock against Bangladesh in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy Final. In that game in Colombo, Karthik changed the course of the match with an 8-ball 29 and helped India win by four wickets. He smashed Soumya Sarkar for a six over the covers to seal the fate of the encounter.

The veteran said that he was looking for a moment where he played a match-winning knock for his side. MS Dhoni was the regular keeper back then and Karthik was still fighting to cement his spot in the side. That knock almost made him a certainty in the team for the next one and half years.

“I was waiting for such a moment like that to prove myself. I had been practising a lot to face a chance like this. When the real situation came to go through that I think it is fun at that stage. Lots of it happen in an auto mode,” Karthik told Mind Masters show which will be telecast on Star Sports Tamil.

I had belief that we would win that match: Dinesh Karthik

When Karthik came in to bat, India needed 34 runs off the last two overs. Mustafizur Rahman had bowled a wicket-maiden and put Bangladesh on the driver’s seat. However, Karthik smashed 22 runs in the 19th over off Rubel Hossain to bring the game back in the Tigers’ favour.

In the last over, Soumya got rid of Vijay Shankar and the target was down to five off the last ball. Sarkar bowled a wide half-volley and Karthik smashed it over the boundary to secure India the triumph. The Tamil Nadu cricketer said that he had the self-belief to take his team over the line.

“As you practice a lot and when you are at that stage you know what you need to do. I had belief that we would win that match, it was 2 overs 34 runs to win, and I still thought that I could win this game for the team,” he stated.

It didn’t spring a surprise that Karthik was adjudged as the Player of the Match. The 34-year-old last donned the India jersey in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup against New Zealand at the Old Trafford in Manchester.