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Updated June 18th, 2022 at 08:21 IST

Dinesh Karthik's gritty half-century 16 years after T20I debut sends Twitter into a frenzy

Dinesh Karthik also became the oldest Indian batter to hit a fifty in T20Is. This was Karthik's maiden T20I half-century, which came 16 years after his debut.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
Dinesh Karthik, India, South Africa, IND vs SA 4th T20I, dinesh karthik team india, team india news, ind vs sa, india vs south africa
Image: bcci.tv | Image:self
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Indian batter Dinesh Karthik played an exceptional knock in the fourth T20I against South Africa as he scored 55 runs off just 27 balls. Karthik'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. 

Karthik's amazing knock included nine boundaries and two sixes as he scored with a whopping strike rate of 203.70. In the process, Karthik also became the oldest Indian batter to hit a fifty in T20 Internationals. This was Karthik's maiden T20I half-century, which came 16 years after he made his debut for India. As Karthik displayed his prime form with the bat and replicated his performances from the Indian Premier League, let's take a look at how social media reacted to his incredible inning. 

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. South Africa elected to field first at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. 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 were 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 were able to reach the double-digit mark. Avesh Khan picked four wickets for India, while Yuzvendra Chahal scalped one wicket. Harshal Patel and Axar Patel each picked one wicket to bowl the Proteas out in just 16.5 overs. Karthik was named the player of the match for his outstanding knock with the bat. 

Image: bcci.tv

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Published June 18th, 2022 at 06:45 IST

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