Dinesh Karthik opens up on the challenges of being a specialist finisher in T20s

DK has cemented his position as a finisher. (PC- Twitter)

Indian wicket keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has shed light on the high-risk role of being a specialist finisher in T20 cricket.

Karthik made his way back to India’s T20 set-up after a long gap of three years after stellar performances in the IPL 2022 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Since his return to the national side, he has been phenomenal and has secured his place as the designated finisher in the playing eleven. Due to his impact with the bat in the lower middle-order, Karthik was chosen ahead of Rishabh Pant for the high-voltage clash against Pakistan in the second game of the Asia Cup 2022.

Speaking ahead of the match between India and Hong Kong, the veteran cricketer explained the key aspects and the challenges of being a specialist finisher in the 20-over format.

“One of the key aspects is that there are going to be days where it's going to be hard. Where I go to bat, it is always a high-pressure situation irrespective of whichever day it is. There are days when it will come off and you'll look like a champion. But the day it doesn't, that is when you have to keep a level head,” Dinesh Karthik was quoted as saying.

Karthik revealed that whenever he goes to bat, he intends to start hitting boundaries from the very first ball.

“You have to go there and start from ball one. You have to do that every time. It's not easy and you have to prepare in the nets. The stakes are high and so when you don't do well, you have to stay level-headed.” 

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