Dinesh Karthik’s remarkable comeback in IPL Season 13
The captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, Dinesh Karthik is one of the veteran players in the Indian Premier League and recently became target of fans outrage when Kolkata started losing matches and he kept on failing with the bat. The fans were also furious with his decisions of promoting himself above Eoin Morgan and also the decision to retain Sunil Narine. But Karthik showed he is a fighter and knows how to make a strong comeback and shut all the trolls. After the recent match against Kings XI Punjab, not only did he score a quick fire half century but also turned the match around with his decisions on the field. Now people have started calling him a remarkable captain with an intelligent cricketing brain. As far as the match between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Rider is concerned, the latter won the match but only by 2 runs. That goes to show how close it was and how Karthik’s smart captaincy helped KKR clinch the victory from the jaws of defeat. KXIP needed to get 165 runs and they got a great start from openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal who put up more than hundred runs for the first wicket. But once Agarwal was dismissed , Punjab lost the momentum and Rahul was dismissed in the later stages of the match as pressure increased due to the required run rate which kept on increasing during the final few overs.
Such is the game that in every match fans expect so much from the players especially from the captain and if they are not able to deliver in some matches, these fans only can make them Hero to Zero. The pressure of performing at such level is intense because if you are playing with the best players in the world, there is always fear of someone replacing you or taking your place if you are not consistently performing well. But Karthik brought all his experience into play and took KKR from to a competitive score. It was not that Kings 11 bowling attack was weak, it was just superb batting against the likes of Mohammed Shami, Chris Jordan and Ravi Bishnoi. It is also clear that no. 5 and 6 is the position which suits Karthik’s game and he should not change his batting position now in the tournament. DK’s on the field also his tactics have been appreciated. He has been using bowlers during death overs very well, especialy holding back Sunil Narine to bowl during the later stages of the match.
Cricket Fraternity Praises Karthik
After his return to form and Kolkata winning 2 consecutive matches, many current and former players appreciated Karthik by posting on social media. Rohan Gavaskar asked Karthik about what he had for breakfast after he had played that scintillating knock against Punjab. Irfan Pathan was also impressed by Karthik’s batting and wrote that it was good to see a senior player fight out those mind battles. Karthik’s good friend Hardik Pandya was also very impressed by the knock. Even legends like Kris Srikkanth were not left behind to praise Karthik. Not to miss, KKR owner had a special message for the team including Dinesh Karthik.
Good afternoon @DineshKarthik – just wanted to know what you ate for brekka today !! That was some mouth watering stroke play out there mate !! #IPL2020 #kkr #KKRvKXIP
— Rohan Gavaskar (@rohangava9) October 10, 2020
@DineshKarthik 😍😍😍 you beauty 👌👏🏿
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) October 10, 2020
Wow! I don’t have words for what I have just witnessed. Brilliant captaincy from @DineshKarthik and what a comeback by @KKRiders ! “Never say die” should be the theme of this IPL! @lionsdenkxip need some serious strategy rejig! #KKRvsKXIP #IPLinUAE
— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth) October 10, 2020
“when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the difference between WINNING and LOSING” (Al Pacino) well done @KKRiders boys. @SunilPNarine74 @prasidh43 @RealShubmanGill & Cap @DineshKarthik ( the win was too close for my gentle heart) love u all
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) October 10, 2020
Our very own Mr 360! 🔄
Not only did the skipper find form, but he also found every part of the park with the 🏏 effortlessly!@DineshKarthik #KKRHaiTaiyaar #Dream11IPL #KXIPvKKR pic.twitter.com/Iv5tEVqyOW
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) October 11, 2020
KKR Batting Order Sorted
There was a lot of criticism of KKR captain and coach regarding the batting order in the initial few matches. The team kept on persisting with Sunil Narine as the opener even after failing to provide a good start to the team. Then the in form Eoin Morgan was sent at no. 5 or 6 which made fans angry and social media was flooded with tweets to promote Morgan in the batting order and even make him the captain. But now in the last two matches, Rahul Tripathi has been sent in to open the innings which has worked. Morgan has also been sent at number 4 position, although he has not been able to make much impact in the last two games but the important thing is that Kolkata has won the both those games and that is what matters. Also read: Amit Mishra to all remaining matches in IPL 2020.
Kolkata Knight Riders are currently sitting at the third position in the points table and if they keep playing like this and winning , we may soon see them at the top of the points table. Knight Riders will be up against Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium where we can expect big runs from both the team teams. But Kolkata will be concerned after injury to their key player Andre Russell and it remains to be seen how serious the injury is and if he could even miss one or more matches because of it. Apart from being one of the most explosive batsman in Indian Premier League, he is also a very useful bowler, especially during the death overs where he does not give away too many runs. Another worry for the KKR camp is that Sunil Narine’s bowling action has been reported after the match against Kings XI Punjab and if he is not allowed to bowl in the tournament, it will be a big blow to their chances of winning the Title this season.
