After his match-saving 38 in the IPL 2024 season opener, Dinesh Karthik is confident that his side, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), can defend the 174-run target. The senior wicketkeeper batter, along with Anuj Rawat, saved RCB from what could have been a humiliating collapse at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
In the mid-innings interview, Dinesh Karthik stated that while they are under par by around 10 runs, they still have enough on the board to defend. He said:
“It is a very good pitch, and looks good for batting. We are slightly under par, so we need to field well and bowl out of our skin. We lost a few wickets in the middle, that hurt us. In the back end, if we connected with a few sixes, then that could make the difference. Chasing 182-183 would be a lot more tricky than 173. We need to field well, but I know we are more than capable of that.“
On his and Anuj Rawat’s 95-run stand, he said:
“Feel a bit rusty. Right till the last over, I was finding my form. Wasn’t coming as smoothly, but that’s understandable. I was trying hard; we were in a pressure situation, and I was trying to stitch a partnership with a young guy who’s been around for a while.
Dinesh Karthik signed off by joking that it’s good for the team that he’ll not field in the second inning, indicating that he’ll be taken off as the impact player who’ll be replaced. “The best part is I might not be there on the field, so even better for us,” he signed off.
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