India vs West Indies: Have got the backing of captain and coach ‘in abundance’, says Dinesh Karthik – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Dinesh Karthik, India’s designated finisher in the shortest format of the game, shared his views about his role in the side at the presentation ceremony after the first T20I against West Indies in Trinidad on Friday.

Karthik scored a swashbuckling 19-ball 41 runs coming in to bat during the last five overs of the first innings.

The right-hander also won the Player of the Match award for his fiery innings lower down the order.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Karthik said that his role is difficult to be consistent with, but he likes the role. “I have been enjoying it a lot. It is a very interesting role. It is not something that you can be very consistent with but on some days, you can make an impact on the team.

Read: Twitter Reacts ‘Dinesh Karthik is just sensational’ as visitors clinch first T20I

He also said that it is important to have the support of the captain and the coach for such a role, as the batter might not always be among the runs. “You need the backing of the captain and coach and I have got that in abundance.”

Karthik further added that it’s important to assess the wicket and the softness of the ball, especially towards the end of the innings. “Assessing the wicket is important. On any given day, the last three-four overs that you bat, you need to be aware of a lot of things such as the shape of the ball, the softness of the ball, and the wicket, and then you need to decide. These are a little bit of things and that comes with a little bit of practice.”

India were 127/5 after 14.5 overs when Karthik came to the crease. And 190 was not on the mind of the Indian dugout.

Karthik hit four 4s and two maximums as he took on the Caribbean bowlers and helped the visitors post a formidable score at the end of 20 overs.

He also spoke about the pitch being a little sticky and not so easy to bat on. “The wicket was a little sticky. Was not a good wicket to start on but once set, you got the pace of the wicket and you realised what kind of shots you can play.”

India were able to comfortably defeat the hosts by a 68-run margin. The two sides next face each other on 1 August.

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