In India’s first T20I match against South Africa in Johannesburg in December 2006, Dinesh Karthik also made his T20I debut. In that match, Karthik scored an unbeaten 31 and won the player of the match award.
Now, 16 years later, in Rajkot, Karthik scored his maiden fifty in the format, hitting 55 off 27 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 203.7 on Friday (June 17). He was also involved in a crucial stand-off with Hardik Pandya, 65 off 33 balls, as India beat South Africa by 82 runs to take the series to a grand finale on Sunday.
Interestingly, Karthik became the oldest Indian cricketer to score a fifty in international cricket, breaking MS Dhoni’s record. Former India captain Dhoni held the record till Friday after scoring his second T20I fifty against South Africa in 2018 at the age of 36.
Oldest Indian to score T20I fifties
- 37 years, 16 days – Dinesh Karthik v South Africa, 2022*
- 36 years, 229 days – M S Dhoni v South Africa 2018
- 35 years and 1 day- Shikhar Dhawan vs Australia in 2020
“Just feels good. I feel very safe in this setup. In the last game, things didn’t go according to plan, but I went and expressed myself today. I think (veteran) DK is thinking a little better He is able to assess situations better and that comes with practice, planning and experience.” Karthik said after being adjudged ‘Player of the Match’.
When Karthik and Pandya joined forces, India were 81/4 in 12.5 overs. The pitch was everything no one would have expected the Rajkot pitch to be other than a sign for the spinners – some hustle and bustle for the fast bowlers and variable bounce all around. But Karthik, along with Pandya, turned the situation in India’s favor and scored 73 runs in the last five overs with a brilliant batting performance.
Biggest comeback in the history of Indian cricket.#dinesh karthik #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/UdIEND3cT7— nammanaadu_nudi (@nammanaadu_nudi) June 17, 2022
The wicketkeeper-batsman credited head coach Rahul Dravid, who is helping him, for creating a calm and clear atmosphere in the Indian team.
“Credit to Rahul Dravid; there’s a certain sense of calm. The dressing room is a quiet place right now. It’s important to learn to accept the pressure. It feels safe and uncluttered. That clarity and environment helped.”
Karthik returned to the India set-up after producing a fine finisher as a specialist finisher for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022. There is no doubt that Kartik is looking forward to the series finale on his new ‘Gharlu Maidan’.
“Bengaluru is a home ground for me. I haven’t played with RCB but have played a lot there. It’s good to see the bilateral series going down in the final. To see the pressure absorb in the third and fourth game was something like Which we would love.”