WAITING TO EXPLODE

Dinesh Karthik, at 37, is trying to redefine the parameters of both preparation & possibility...

- Partha Bhaduri

It has been fascinating to watch Dinesh Karthik go about his preparations here in Australia. His primary task is to pull off the impossible whenever required so he must be ready at all times.

It is not easy being India's designated finisher. Not getting enough game time, or enough match situations in which he must ace the superhuman chase or close the innings out with a flurry of audacious strokes, is part of the job description. Add to that India's tendency to chop and change the T20 lineup over the past year or so. The team has played 36 T20Is after the 2021 T20 World Cup. Karthik has played only 20 innings in which he has struck at 149.72.

This is where readiness comes in. Sometimes he must do what the 10 others in the team may not be capable of at that precise moment. He is a specialist but his captain will wish he is never required. Even when, after an interminable wait, he does get an opportunity in a high-pressure game to finish things off, the odds are stacked against Karthik. At best, there is only a 50:50 chance of success. Karthik must take those odds.