Dinesh Karthik registered his maiden T20 half-century against South Africa in the ongoing five-match series on Friday while former Proteas pacer Dale Steyn praised Karthik, saying he reads the game well and backs it up with very good skill.
The Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik made his T20 debut in 2006, he is still marching on in the shortest format of the game and he registered his maiden T20 half-century against South Africa in the ongoing five-match series on Friday, and help India to level the series 2-2 by seal the victory. He played an outstanding knock of 55 off just 27 balls with the help of 9 fours and 2 sixes.
Former South African pacer Dale Steyn praised Karthik, saying he reads the game well and backs it up with very good skill.
“DK has been in phenomenal form. This year, he is getting better and better. He has the wicketkeeper mentality, he reads the game well, he knows and understands what bowlers are trying to do and he backs it up with very good skill. He reverses sweeps, sweeps, laps. They are shots being played by somebody who reads and understands the game, understands what the bowler is going to bowl when before he runs up to bowl,”
Steyn said on ESPNcricinfo’s ‘T20 Time Out’.
“He does it so well, he attacks the first and last ball of the over, he puts the bowlers under pressure on ball one, and then the guys, they don’t have an answer,”
he added.
When asked whether DK is ahead of Pant right now based on current form, Steyn said:
“Pant has had four opportunities in this series, where he seems to be making the same mistakes. Also, you think that good players learn from their mistakes, but he has not. DK has just come out every single time and shown what a class player he is. If you want to win the World Cup, you want to pick a guy who is in form. Some guy team will pick on reputation, but DK is in such fantastic form, if he continues this form, he is going to be one of the first names written down on the plane when India tours for the World Cup later this year.”
While walking out to bat in the 13th over, Karthik saw out the initial few balls, then he started to kick off, helping India post 169-6 in 20 overs in the fourth T20I.
Team India defended the Target very well and beat the Proteas by 87 runs. Avesh Khan was the pick of the bowlers as he returned with four wickets.
The fifth and final game will be played on Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.