While Dinesh Karthik is close to cementing his place in India’s T20 World Cup squad as a finisher, the former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth reckons that Karthik is not a finisher at all and some people actually have the wrong definition of a finisher’s role.
According to Srikkanth, who was speaking on Fancode, a player who can only bat in a specific period of the innings can’t be called a finisher. A finisher is someone who has the ability to come to the crease early in the innings and then set up the innings before giving it a final finish with a few big shots at the end.
But, what Dinesh Karthik is doing is just the latter parts of a finisher’s job. He is coming to the crease towards the end of the innings and playing some big shots. While he is doing that part fantastically well, that’s not the complete role of a finisher.
Incredible Dinesh Karthik, the finisher in T20. #IndvWI pic.twitter.com/oNul4KAaeW
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 2, 2022
Even Rohit Sharma is a finisher, but not Dinesh Karthik: Srikkanth
In the view of Srikkanth, there are 3 or 4 players in the Indian team who can be called finishers. Even the Indian captain Rohit Sharma, although he opens the innings, can be called a finisher because he can set up the innings, bat right through, and play the big hits at the end too.
Hardik Pandya can do the same, even Rishabh Pant can do that. These players can come early and can make their way through the innings to get themselves in a position where they can give the finishing touches to the innings and that’s why these players are the proper finishers, not Dinesh Karthik.
This is what wrong with Dinesh Kathik. He can't bat in pressure for long. If required 30 runs in 3 -4 over, he can hit it but he can't score 80-90 in 7 -8 overs likewise Hardik, and Ms used to do at his prime.#INDvWI #DineshKarthik
Advertisement— Aditya Zha (@AdityaZha7) August 1, 2022
Dinesh Karthik, who was the player of the match in the first T20 international against West Indies for his 41 off 19 balls, is currently batting at no. 7 for India and is specifically used in the last 5 overs of the innings by the Indian team management.
