T20 World Cup: How Dinesh Karthik is trying to redefine the parameters of both preparation and possibility

(This story originally appeared in . on 26 October 2022)

Sydney: It is interesting to see Dinesh Karthik going about his preparations here in Australia. His primary function is to overcome the impossible whenever necessary, so he must be ready at all times.

Becoming India’s designated finisher is not easy. Not getting enough playing time, or enough match conditions in which he must pursue superhuman pursuits or close the innings with a flurry of audacious strokes, is part of the job description. Add to that India’s tendency to cut and change the T20 line-up over the past year or so. The team has played 36 T20 matches after the 2021 T20 World Cup. Karthik has played only 20 innings in which he has scored a score of 149.72.

This is where preparation comes in. Sometimes he must do what the other 10 people on the team are not capable of at that exact moment. He is an expert but his captain would want him never to be needed. Even when after an endless wait, he gets a chance to end things in a high-pressure game, odds are stacked against Karthik. At best, there is only a 50:50 chance of success. Kartik has to overcome those obstacles.

Hello Sydney We are here for our second match of the #T20WorldCup! #TeamIndia https://t.co/96toEZzvqe

—BCCI (@BCCI) 1666673383000

On the second night against Pakistan, which has been the biggest match of the ongoing T20 World Cup, Karthik could only last two balls. He came in the last over itself, against slow left-arm spin from Mohammad Nawaz, India needed 16 off five balls and Hardik Pandya just fell.

Karthik danced straight to the track and though he could have been better off waiting in his crease, he managed to do the most important thing: give back the strike to Virat Kohli. It was followed by drama, turmoil, panic attacks, wides, full tosses and controversy as 13 runs came off the next three balls. Now India needed two out of two, the pressure was over. DK was back on strike. How should he close it now?

Nawaz throws a flat down leg down as DK deflects his intentions. A hesitant attempt to sweep ended in stumpings instead. Disaster. Failure. return. reload. Prepare for another day.

At the MCG and here at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where India will take on the Netherlands on Thursday, Karthik’s methods during the nets session have been subtle and relentless. He will stretch for a bit and then go for a run. He will start by doing some wicketkeeping exercises. Then he would hit the nets and keep going. After that he will be there again.

On Tuesday, he seemed to be in animated conversation with R Ashwin all the time, even during the ‘keeping practice and batting session’. About 10 minutes of practice and he was in the nets. He will face spin, sidearm, pace, off-spin, left-arm spin and back again. Lots of left arm spin. Then he would return to his ‘keeping practice’. Karthik’s father also appeared for a while seeing him train.

Very few people in world cricket, who at the age of 37 and have completely reinvented themselves for a specific role, can sustain this intensity of training. Along with his personal ‘coach’ and friend Abhishek Nair, Karthik is known to book stadiums and fly net bowlers and pay for their stay and expenses. He will travel across the country simulating different situations.

Unlike an MS Dhoni or an Andre Russell, who will only muscle the ball, ‘DK’ takes the hard route: he has to angle, keep his shape, get his timing right, look ugly against spin, sometimes- Have to play the field sometime, fox fast bowler. fundamentally improved. He’s a busy, playful character in the nets and in between, not a range-hitting enthusiast. His job is a tough job but you don’t get a chance to claim 6 T20I innings of 25 or more runs at a strike rate above 200 with regular work. He has played 22 innings at an average of 142.78 as No.6 in T20Is.

On Tuesday, for a while, he seemed obsessed with arcing between square leg and fine leg. When Mohammad Siraj bowled, he began to chase down the target: “Four! That’s four! That’s six! Four!” Siraj replied only with a sly smile, and, one at a time, laughed, “Hey you too!” He tried to change his line but DK was at the top.

A net bowler, Muhammad Irfan Jr., a tall fast bowler from Pakistan who plays grade cricket in Sydney, troubles Karthik several times with a back-of-a-length ball. He later said, “He does his practice and he has to put the shots (he does his practice and should play his shots).”

In between intervals, a finisher must uncoil and strike. If India are chasing and Karthik is on strike, you can bet it is a tough game.

Originally published at Pen 18

In awe of Kohli: Australian greats from three generations talk about the MCG masterclass

Three generations of Australian cricketing greatness had a common, non-Australian buzzword: Virat Kohli. Be it 94-year-old Neil Harvey, the last surviving member of Don Bradman’s invincibles or Doug Walters, the first Test batsman to score a century in a season or Australia’s 2015 World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke, they are each Virat Kohli and Pakistan’s Sold on his incredible innings against

Harvey, who can barely walk an hour and a half from Sydney city centre, leads a recluse life, was excited about how Kohli almost single-handedly batted India to victory. He considered the former India captain to be a great player of the game.

He said, ‘Kohli played a very good innings and that shot in the 19th over was very special. “There are good players and there are great players. Kohli is a great player and he has made this win really special for all of you.”

Walters, one of the best of his generation and someone who would have been a perfect fit for white-ball cricket, was equally impressed. “The best thing about Kohli is that he plays the traditional stroke. He was in control of the situation and had the confidence to support himself to win the game for his team. It tells a lot about a player’s ability. Against Pakistan, his proficiency in getting wet under pressure was a lesson for every aspiring cricketer,” Walters said.

Walters also could not stop talking about two shots against Harris Rauf in the 19th over. “The highlight of the first shot was that he was able to cross the MCG, which is one of the longest boundaries in the world. It tells how accurate the shot was. Timing, balance, execution, everything was perfect and that is why the ball traveled the distance and landed in the stands,” he said. The stroke is being compared to Sachin Tendulkar’s third man six on Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup.

With Kohli batting at his best, Walters is backing India to do well in Australia and feels this England could be India’s final. Clarke, who was the captain when Kohli scored his maiden Test century in Australia in 2012, always believed that Kohli would do well. Even before the tournament began, Clarke had said that this World Cup could see Kohli dominating the proceedings.

“The format and the conditions are such that the opener and No. 3 will be the deciding factor for a team. And in Kohli you have the best man for the job. At number three, if he plays 70 balls in the innings, he will score 110 runs for the team and so you shouldn’t be too worried about his approach.

“Actually, I’m a little surprised by all this talk about attitude. There is no single approach in cricket. If you have players like Kohli and Rohit (Sharma), you just have to make them bat for as long as possible. Have to back down. If they do that, more often than not, they will win you the game,” he argued. As for Clarke, Kohli is getting close to his best and there is a certain calmness about him that is refreshing.

Even the Australian press could not stop talking about Kohli. In Sydney newspapers, which paid little attention to the India-Pakistan game the morning after, all have started to focus on Kohli and the greatness of knocking under pressure. With that one innings, Kohli has set the tone for India in the World Cup.

Originally published at Pen 18

Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar ‘wants’ Virat Kohli to retire from T20 Internationals

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar wants Virat Kohli to retire from T20 Internationals as he believes the Indian batsman should not devote his ‘full energy’ to the shortest format. Akhtar heaped praise on Kohli after scoring an unbeaten 82 against Pakistan in a T20 World Cup match on Sunday, helping India register a thrilling four-wicket win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

He said, ‘According to me, he played the biggest innings of his life against Pakistan. He played like this because he was confident that he would do it.

Akhtar said, “He is back with a bang. I want him to retire from T20I because I don’t want him to put all his energy into T20I cricket. With the same commitment as he is today, he Can score three centuries in ODIs.” Youtube channel.

Kohli single-handedly led India to victory after staring down the barrel at one stage in the most anticipated game of the tournament.

Akhtar recalled the criticism that Kohli had to face during long lean runs with the bat.

“He was down and out for 3 years, he didn’t score runs, he was stripped of his captaincy and a lot of people said a lot of things to him.

“People dragged his family into it too, but he continued to train and got into corruption and just a day before Diwali, he burst crackers in an innings. He decided that this place and this stage was perfect for his comeback. Is.

The Pakistan pacer said, “Raja is back and he is coming back with a bang and I am really happy for him. He is a great cricketer.”

Originally published at Pen 18

nadal: Rafa Nadal to return at Paris Masters, says coach

Coach Carlos Moya said Rafa Nadal will return to the Paris Masters next week before taking his place in the season-ending ATP Finals.

Nadal won his 14th French Open title this year while battling injuries, taking a painkiller injection to deal with a chronic leg injury and was ruled out of Wimbledon due to a stomach problem.

After his loss to Frances Tiafoe at the US Open in September, he said he needed to “fix things” and was unsure about when he would play again.

The Spaniard, who won a men’s record 22 Grand Slam titles, partnered with Roger Federer in a doubles match at the Laver Cup last month before pulling out of the tournament.

He also took time off for the birth of his first child with wife Marie Perello on October 8.

Moya confirmed that Nadal will use the Masters 1000 event at Bercy, which the world number two has never won, as part of his preparations for the ATP final in Turin from 13–20 November.

“Before you reach Turin, you have to play matches in Paris, which are similar,” Moya told IB3 TV.

“Wherever Rafa is competitive and we go with hope and confusion.”

Originally published at Pen 18

serena williams: I am not retired: Serena Williams

Serena Williams said on Monday that she has not retired from tennis and the chances of her return are “very high” as she previously indicated she would be pulling out of the sport after last month’s US Open.

“I’m not retired,” Williams told a conference in San Francisco while promoting her investment company, Serena Ventures.

“(The chances of return) are very high. You can come to my house, I have a court.”

Williams, 41, said she was “getting away from tennis” in an essay in August and, while she did not confirm the US Open as her farewell event, she was given grand tributes before each match in New York and a Said emotional goodbye. lost in the third round

The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who took the tennis world by storm as a teenager and is regarded as the greatest of all time, said it was not natural for her not to prepare for the tournament after the US Open.

“I still haven’t really thought about[retirement],” Williams said.

“But I woke up the other day and got on the court and (supposedly) for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition, and it felt really weird.

“It was like the first day of the rest of my life and I’m enjoying it, but I’m still trying to find that balance.”

Originally published at Pen 18

Tennis star Serena Williams says she has not retired from the sport yet, may come back soon – The Economic Times Video

Serena Williams said on Monday that she has not retired from tennis and the chances of her return are “very high” as she previously indicated she would be pulling out of the sport after last month’s US Open. “I’m not retired,” Williams told a conference in San Francisco while promoting her investment company, Serena Ventures.

Originally published at Pen 18

Taskin Ahmed: T20 World Cup: Taskin Ahmed fires Bangladesh to win over Netherlands

Melbourne Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed picked up four wickets as he started the T20 World Cup in a nine-run win over the Netherlands in Hobart on Monday.

The Netherlands decided to bowl first and restricted Bangladesh to 144 for eight on a disappointing day at the Bellerive Oval.

Paul van Meeckeren (24) and Fred Klaasen (seven not out) put on a scintillating 34-run partnership for the final wicket as the Netherlands were bundled out within 12 runs of victory with two balls to spare.

But Van Meeckeren was unable to clear the rope from Soumya Sarkar’s final ball, leading to Bangladesh’s first victory in 17 attempts in the second round of the T20 World Cup.

Man of the match Taskin ensured that Netherlands’ chase got off to a terrific start as they removed opener Vikramjit Singh and number three Bass de Leede in the first two balls of the innings.

A half-century from all-rounder Colin Ackermann (62) kept the Netherlands in the game but Taskin was dismissed by the number four in the 17th over for two wickets.

Bangladesh will take on South Africa in their next Super 12 match in Sydney on Thursday, while the Netherlands will take on India.

Originally published at Pen 18