Dinesh Karthik embarks on much-awaited T20I milestone, overtakes rare MS Dhoni record

Veteran Indian batter Dinesh Karthik played an exceptional knock in the fourth T20I against South Africa as he scored 55 runs off just 27 balls. The 37-year-old hit his maiden half-century 16 years after his T20I debut, making him the oldest Indian batter to reach the feat in men's T20I cricket.

Karthik’s half-century came in handy for the Indian side who mounted the pressure on contenders South Africa. DK’s maiden fifty put him past former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as he became the oldest Indian cricketer to post a debut T20I half-century. Karthik was 37 years and 16 days old when he scored his maiden fifty on Friday. Previously, the record was held by former skipper MS Dhoni, who marked his first half-century against England in 2017, at the age of 36 years, 229 days. Notably, Shikhar Dhawan stands third in the list, having his maiden half-ton against Australia in 2020 at the age of 35 years and 1 day.

Dinesh Karthik's blistering half-century 

Hitting hard in the end overs of the 4th T20I of an ongoing 5-match series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, Karthik scored 55 runs off just 27 balls. He completed the feat by hitting two sixes and nine boundaries as he struck at a whopping strike rate of 203.70. DK’s performance with the bat helped India achieve a defendable total of 169 runs after a shaky start that saw the hosts lose four early wickets in the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Rishabh Pant. The 37-year-old forged a crucial fifth-wicket partnership with Hardik Pandya to help his side regain momentum. 

India vs South Africa: 4th T20I

As far as the match is concerned, Indian skipper Rishabh Pant lost yet another toss in the ongoing series and South Africa elected to field first. Batting first, India lost Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer cheaply at scores of 5 and 4 runs, respectively. Ishan Kishan scored 27 off 26 balls but was dismissed by Anrich Nortje in the 7th over. Pant scored 17 of 23 balls before being removed by Keshav Maharaj. At one point, India was reeling at 81/4 in 12.5 overs.

Pandya and Karthik then forged a partnership of 65 off 33 balls to take India to 146 before the former was dismissed by Lungi Ngidi for 46 runs. Karthik then attempted to finish the innings on his own but was removed by Dwaine Pretorius in the final over, not before helping India reach 159/6. Axar Patel and Harshal Patel then finished the innings for India as they took India to 169/6 in 20 overs. 

Indian bowlers then came into action to dismiss South Africa for a mere 87 runs, helping India win the game by 82 runs. Apart from Quinton de Kock (14), Rassie van der Dussen (20), and Marco Jansen (12), none of the other South African batters was able to reach the double-digit mark. Avesh Khan picked four wickets for India, while Yuzvendra Chahal scalped one wicket. Karthik was named the player of the match for his outstanding knock with the bat. 

Image: PTI/ TWITTER