Dinesh Karthik, the wicket-keeper batter for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), heaped praise on teammate Anuj Rawat after their crucial partnership helped RCB recover from a precarious position against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening match of Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) started their IPL 2024 title defense with a convincing six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Mustafizur Rahman’s bowling (4/29) restricted RCB to 173/6. In reply, a quickfire 37 by debutant Rachin Ravindra and a collective batting effort sealed the win for CSK with 8 balls to spare.
RCB rescued by sixth-wicket Stand
RCB’s batting looked shaky early on, slumping to 78/5. However, a superb 95-run stand between Karthik (38*) and Rawat (48) propelled them to a respectable total of 173/6 in their 20 overs.
Dinesh Karthik praises Anuj Rawat talent
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Dinesh Karthik lauded Anuj Rawat’s talent. “I couldn’t be happier for him,” he said. “The ball just flies off his bat. He’s got great bat speed, and he works really hard in the nets. Today, we truly saw his skill, and I hope he can continue this form. A left-hander in the middle order is very valuable for us.”
Anuj Rawat’s impressive knock has garnered him praise from not just Karthik but also RCB fans, with some even drawing comparisons to the legendary Adam Gilchrist. The young batsman has been with the franchise for two years but hasn’t always had the chance to shine.
Dinesh Karthik on RCB Batting Approach
Dinesh Karthik also spoke about RCB’s batting approach. “We have a long batting line-up,” he explained. “Ideally, we want to put pressure on the bowlers throughout the innings. Sometimes, it’s important for the lower-order batsmen to soak up the pressure and know what to do. That’s exactly what Anuj Rawat and I tried to achieve today.”
Dinesh Karthik on doing commentary and playing IPL
Dinesh Karthik who also does commentary during off-season, opened up about the struggles of doing commentary and playing cricket in Indian Premier League for RCB.
“It has been extremely challenging. TO be doing a little bit of commentary and to keep practising cricket between the Test matches and between all the time you get. It’s a lot of hard work. I have been away a lot from my family but I am happy that it came positively personally and it feels good to score some runs,” said Dinesh Karthik in the post-match press conference.
With a strong showing and a crucial partnership, Anuj Rawat has announced himself as a player to watch in IPL 2024. His knock, along with Karthik’s experience, has given RCB a strong platform to build on in their opening match.
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