Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik got back in shape with a half-century of smooth counterattack against the Kings XI Punjab in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Karthik’s brilliant display of striking caught the attention of many, but former Indian cricketer Rohan Gavaskar seemed to be the most impressed.
After Karthik’s 58-run hit against KXIP with just 29 balls, Gavaskar wanted to know what Karthik had for breakfast on Saturday, as it was a “mouth watering display” from the KKR captain.
IPL, KKR vs KXIP Live Score
“Good afternoon @ DineshKarthik, I just wanted to know what you ate for the brekka today !! That was an appetizing hitting game out there buddy, ”Gavaskar tweeted.
Karthik’s 57-run hit and starter Shubman Gill helped Kolkata Knight Riders score 164 of 6 in their IPL match against Kings XI Punjab here on Saturday.
Karthik’s decision to hit first appeared to backfire, as KKR was battling 63-for-3 in the eleventh second, but changed the tone of innings with a magnificent hit that included eight fours and two sixes. the last ball of the innings, he had some exquisite shots and his set-ups were brilliant, in addition to his first-class career among wickets. His fifty came from just 22 balls.
Young starter Gill contributed 57 of 47 balls that had five fours. The 82-run position between Karthik and Gill for the fourth wicket was the cornerstone of KKR’s innings on a slow and difficult pitch.
KXIP made a comeback in the final two overs, yielding just 18 runs. They conceded 71 runs in the six overs prior to that.
KKR, however, got off to a disastrous start, losing two wickets by just 25 runs in the power play. Rahul Tripathi’s middle stump (4) was sent cartwheeling by Mohammed Shami in the third over, while Gill was guilty of Nitish Rana (2) off in a horrible mix.
The scoring rate improved a bit with Eoin Morgan (24), who was promoted to number four, looking for careers. KKR hit 50 in the 10th and 60 for 2 in the middle of the road.
Just as Gill-Morgan’s third grandstand was looking to grow, Ravi Bishnoi eliminated the limited England captain who offered a single catch to Glenn Maxwell in a long time.
(with PTI inputs)
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