‘Thank you for saving me' vs Pakistan: Dinesh Karthik to Ashwin; video viral

Pressure can get to even the best of the lot. Ask Dinesh Karthik about it. Currently rated as one of the best finishers in T20 cricket, the veteran India wicketkeeper-batter had a comparatively easy task- if one can dare to say that - of scoring 2 runs off 2 balls in India's T20 World Cup 2022 opener against neighbours Pakistan in front of a jam-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground. Karthik would have finished the match nine out of 10 times from that situation but Sunday was that dreaded 'one' in which he couldn't.

After bowling the first four balls, including a no-ball six, with the keeper standing back, Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz decided to go the traditional way to Karthik. Mohammad Rizwan was now standing up to the stumps. It was a slider down the leg side from Nawaz. Karthik, instead of just tapping it down to the on side for a couple to finish the match, decided to play the high-risk slog-sweep shot. He failed to make contact, the ball hit his pads and trickled towards wicketkeeper Rizwan. Karthik got himself into a tangle and ventured out of his crease, completely unaware of the ball's whereabouts.

Rizwan picked up the ball and whipped the bails off in a flash. Karthik was short of his crease and had to take the long walk back for 1 off 2 balls. Karthik would be the first one to admit that he played the wrong shot. There was no need to play a high-risk shot like a slog sweep when all he needed to do was put bat to ball and make use of the big MCG boundary to run a couple or at worst get a single.

The 37-year-old and a billion others breathed a sigh of relief as Ashwin kept his nerve to win the match for India in the last ball. A day later, BCCI uploaded a video in which Karthik was seen taking Ashwin for 'saving him.'

Hello Sydney 👋

We are here for our 2⃣nd game of the #T20WorldCup! 👏 👏#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/96toEZzvqe — BCCI (@BCCI) October 25, 2022

“Thaknk you for saving me yesterday… Cool and calm,” Karthik told Ashwin, who showed ice-cool nerves to first leave his first delivery down the leg side to collect a wide and then just chip the last delivery over mid off to take India home.

After the incredible come-from-behind victory against Pakistan to get their World Cup campaign off to a great start, India have reached Sydney for their second Super 12 Group 2 match against the Netherlands. The Rohit Sharma-led side will look for a better performance from the top-order on Thursday.

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