Karthik leads the way for Kolkata in straightforward victory over Rajasthan
It may yet be too early to say, but 2018 is turning out to be a good year for Dinesh Karthik.
Earlier in the year, the India wicketkeeper-batsman played an innings to remember, leading the national side to victory in the final of the Nidahas Trophy triangular Twenty20 tournament at Colombo.
His last-ball six against Bangladesh not only proved he was an excellent stroke-player but also revealed to the world he has ice water in his veins.
Karthik, who made his India debut in 2004 – even before the great MS Dhoni did – had by then been named captain of Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders.
After winning the toss and sending Rajasthan Royals in to bat yesterday, Karthik showed imagination by employing spinners Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav at both ends of the early overs.
The tactic may not have worked, as opposite number Ajinkya Rahane and D’Arcy Short put on a 54-run stand for the first wicket. But Karthik did take the home team by surprise.
Next, he had Nitish Rana, an occasional bowler at best, to send down two overs, thereby taking two wickets. Karthik also stumped out Rahane for 36, following which Rajasthan lost their momentum before finishing on 160-8.
It proved a total Kolkata overhauled with ease and go top of the table, thanks in large part to Karthik’s 42, although credit must also go to Robin Uthappa (48), Sunil Narine (35) and Rana (35).
In today’s game, Kings XI Punjab host the other table-toppers – Sunrisers Hyderabad – with just two points separating the sides.
Hyderabad are the slight favourites to win given they have a balanced line-up.
They have steady batsmen in captain Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan and Manish Pandey, but it is their bowling that may be the envy of their rivals.
Hyderabad have the edge in the pace department, being led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has risen to become a strike bowler for India. But Punjab have home advantage, and they have exciting batsmen – including Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul and Karun Nair – at their disposal.
Hyderabad have the edge in the pace department, being led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But Punjab have home advantage
What is common between the sides is the quality of spin: Punjab are led by Ravichandran Ashwin. Hyderabad have Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.
They also have in their ranks mean slow left-armers in Axar Patel (Punjab) and Shakib Al Hasan (Hyderabad).
Ashwin and Rashid could not be further apart as bowlers: the former is an off-spinner, who occasionally bowls leg-breaks, while the latter is leg-spinner.
Ashwin is on the wrong side of 30 and peaking in his career at the moment – at least in the Test format – while Rashid is still a teenager with, hopefully, many more years of success to look forward to.
Despite the differences, however, their performances are likely to have a bearing on the result.