After having a convincing 62-run win over Sri Lanka in the first T20I, Dinesh Karthik shared a couple of important takeaways for India from the match as well.
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After having a convincing 62-run win over Sri Lanka in the first T20I, Dinesh Karthik shared a couple of important takeaways for India from the match as well. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter has stated that it was great to see Harshal Patel bowl well in the powerplay, even if he is known as a death-over specialist.
While batting first, Team India posted a massive total of 199/2 on the back of a few swashbuckling knocks from Ishan Kishan (89), Shreyas Iyer (57*), and Rohit Sharma (44). The Indian bowlers then did exceptionally well to restrict the visitors to just 137/6 after 20 overs. Speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/9), Yuzvendra Chahal (1/11), Ravindra Jadeja (1/28), and Venkatesh Iyer (2/36) picked up wickets as well.
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While speaking on Cricbuzz live, Dinesh Karthik opened up on Team India’s performance in the first T20I and opined on the positive takeaways for Rohit Sharma and the team.
He said: “The things I liked in the bowling attack was to see Harshal Patel bowl in the powerplay. Venkatesh Iyer stitched his first over well. Jadeja looked good, and Chahal created two opportunities in his spell. Those boxes were ticked for India.”
Dinesh Karthik also applauded the veteran speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned to form after having a series of poor shows for a long time. He added: “If there is a little bit of swing, we can see Bhuvi is a master and a handful to deal with. He had a quiet tour in South Africa, but he has come back and shown the world why he rated highly in this format, an absolute gem of a spell at the top.”
Former Indian speedster Zaheer Khan has also stated that Shreyas Iyer did a great job in the first T20I as he adapted to the situation quite well. Zaheer has opened up on the fact that it is not easy for anyone to come into bat after a swashbuckling stand and carry forward with equal momentum as well.
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According to Zaheer, Iyer has played a mature knock too. He said: “It’s never easy for batsmen to walk in after a great opening partnership. You are always caught up with the tempo you want to set, that is the challenge Shreyas Iyer had and you need a good temperament to handle that. He had to adapt and adjust to the low bounce and speed of the wicket. From that point of view, Shreyas did a fantastic job and played a matured knock.”
Dinesh Karthik also shared a similar thought. He added: “With Covid and other prevalent issues, Shreyas might get a chance to bat at any position 3,4,5 at any given point in near future. So the most important thing for him would be to put up enough scores to be part of the Indian set-up, and that’s what he is doing. He did okay against West Indies, and today, he performed well.”
The second match will take place in Dharamshala, where the two teams will take on each other in the second T20I of the three-match series on Saturday as well.
