Almost 16 years after he made his T20I debut, Dinesh Karthik scored his maiden half-century in this format in Rajkot on Friday. It was mainly because of his innings and Avesh Khan’s four-wicket haul that India levelled the series 2-2. Karthik said the environment in the dressing room has helped him deliver and didn’t forget to mention head coach Rahul Dravid’s contribution.
“I’m very secure in this set-up. In the last game, things didn’t go well but I felt safe after going back to the dressing room. I am thinking a bit better and am able to assess situations better,” Karthik said.
“That comes from planning and experience. They bowled brilliantly up front, our openers could not get going. When I went in, Hardik told me to bide time... To execute things well is great.
“The series is on the line, which is great. Rahul Dravid has focused on what batters and bowlers need to do and not the results, the dressing room is secure and feels fuzzy which is good. That clarity and environment has helped,” Karthik said.
Captain Rishabh Pant was happy with the result. “We talked about execution and here are the results! We can talk about the toss but whichever team plays better generally wins. Really happy with Hardik putting up a stand while DK went for the kill... that’s when the bowlers felt the pressure,” Pant said.