K Srikkanth reactes on Dinesh Karthik’s role in Indian T20I team

Dinesh Karthik has been around for a long time in international cricket since his T20I debut in 2006 and has played different roles from the top of the order to the middle order. However, the 37-year-old has mastered the role of finishing since IPL 2022 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and returned to the international setup again.

He played a match-winning innings in the first T20I against West Indies, a 19-ball 41 coming in at No. 7 and is certainly in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup 2022. India has been quite reluctant to send him to bat before the 10th over and has used him in the death overs only. Meanwhile, former Indian selector Kris Srikkanth has different views on the role of a finisher and Karthik’s role in the side.

What Dinesh is doing can be called final touches: Kris Srikkanth

Srikkanth explained the difference between a finisher and a batter who gives the final touches and hailed Karthik’s recent performances in IPL as well as for India. He went on to say that a finisher is a player who takes the match to the finish line by coming in at the 8th or 9th over and described Suryakumar Yadav’s century in England as the perfect example.

“Your definition of a finisher is wrong. Yes, Dinesh has been doing very well. He has been brilliant in the IPL and a few matches here. But that is not a finisher! A guy who can take the match from 8th or 9th over and finish it can be called a finisher,” Srikkanth said on FanCode during the third T20 between India and West Indies.

“What Dinesh is doing can be called final touches. Take Suryakumar Yadav. We saw that he almost single-handedly won the match in England. That’s the finishing role. Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant are finishers… and our captain (Rohit) can open and play till the 17th over in 12th gear is also a finisher. An actual finisher doesn’t play between 16-20 overs. A finisher is a guy who takes the match along from 8th or 9th over and eventually finishes with 60 odd runs. Dinesh’s role is defined. He is doing fantastic but he is fine-tuning the finishing role instead of actually being a finisher,” he added.