After a largely unimpressive season up until that point, Dinesh Karthik's IPL-IV campaign came to life against Kochi Tuskers Kerala here on Friday. His 69 (33b, 7x4, 5x6) guided Kings XI Punjab, in pursuit of 179, to victory, earning him the Man-of-the-Match award.
“I'm very happy with the way I batted,” he said afterwards. “I could contribute when the team needed it. When I came in at 31 for two, I just thought I'd build a partnership with Shaun Marsh. We showed today that it is not just about the Power Play; what happens after that matters as well.”
The 25-year-old was all praise for the pitch at the Holkar Stadium. “The wicket was good for both bowlers and batsmen,” he said. “You could trust the bounce and play your shots; that was what I did.”
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Asked if his omission from the Indian squad for the West Indies tour provoked him into “proving a point”, Karthik denied that was the case. “Obviously, it's everyone's dream to play for India. To not be a part of the team is disappointing but that did not in any way affect my performance today.”
Needs better plan
Kochi skipper Mahela Jayawardene, meanwhile, rued his side's inability to effect more dismissals.
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“We picked up two early wickets but couldn't continue,” he said. “We panicked in the middle overs and gave away too many fours and sixes. Now we need to sit down and have a much better plan. We can't just hit the wicket. We need to bowl in good areas.”