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Dhoni's six was the best thing to happen: Dinesh Karthik
Follow UsThe six allowed the umpires to replace the wet ball with a drier one, which made it much easier for Yash Dayal to grip the ball and execute his slower ones
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) became the fourth and the last team to qualify for the playoffs after defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 27-runs in a must-win encounter. RCB also had to ensure that they stopped CSK at 201 chasing 219 so that they could leapfrog the yellow brigade in net run rate and confirm a top-four spot.
If RCB had failed to do that, it would certainly have been Dinesh Karthik’s last game, who had already announced his retirement from professional cricket before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. When RCB had won only one game out of their first seven and were languishing at the bottom of the table, Karthik made a fair judgement of calling his family members for the game against CSK on May 18.
“Three weeks ago, I made this decision. Eight games, 7 lost, so I thought today would be the last day, so I called 26 members of my family. [I thought] I’ll say bye to everyone, and I’ll be done. But I think they have come a long way, and they have realised that I might play a few more games,” Karthik said in a video posted by RCB, in which the 38-year-old addressed his teammates and support staff after the game.
However, that wouldn’t have been possible without Yash Dayal’s brilliant last over to MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja.
Karthik especially harped on Dhoni's humungous 110-m six on the first ball of the last over that went out of the ground. Counterintuitively, he said six was the best thing to happen to RCB on the day as it allowed the umpires to replace the wet ball with a drier one, which was much easier for Dayal to grip. He executed the slower one on the next delivery to perfection and got Dhoni caught by Swapnil Singh in the deep.
“As a team, we did phenomenally well in staying in the game. And I thought the best thing to happen today was Dhoni hitting that six outside the ground. We got a new ball. (Virat Kohli interjected and smilingly applauded Karthik for “good game awareness”). When you have a doubt, always bowl a hip-high full toss on the leg stump. That’s a good mantra to follow when the ball is wet,” the wicketkeeper batter said with his characteristic cheek.
Throughout his address, Karthik dwelled on the incredulity of RCB’s feat. Although they had been at the bottom of the table for at least three weeks, they made a comeback and won six games on the trot. He also felt this achievement would transcend seasons and inspire teams lagging to bring their best game.
“Jokes apart, we all should be really proud of this journey we are having. People will always remember certain journeys. I think the way we have come back, after eight games we needed to win six. People will remember this team for a very very special time,” Karthik said.
“Every year in this tournament, when you reach the seven-game mark, there are a few teams that have won only two or three. I think they’ll look to us and say, ‘RCB did it, and that was special. We are gonna try and repeat what RCB did.’ That’s what we play cricket for. That’s what we play sports for…”
“What we have achieved today is special. Enjoy it. Don’t be like Andy Flower with a glum face (he added with a smile). Drink, have fun. Don’t make it look like it’s something we achieve every day. This is special winning six on the trot.”
RCB will play the Eliminator on May 22 in Ahmedabad after qualifying for the playoffs. If they win, they’ll be just two victories away from their first-ever IPL trophy.
“When we get on that flight to Ahmedabad, I think we will have a job at our hands,” Karthik told his teammates and support staff.
“We have in it in our grasp to do something that people will remember us for decades. It’s a journey that will make people say ‘wow that RCB team is special’. We are on that journey. We can do something special and we’ll be the team that other teams look at.”
