Dinesh Karthik surpassed former Indian captain MS Dhoni on Sunday to become the oldest Indian cricketer to score T20I for half a century. The 37-year old Indian batter scored his first half century in the shortest set-up of the game for India on Friday. Karthik put on a show in Rajkot against South Africa in the 4th T20I of the five-game series, while Men in Blue tied the series 2-2. He hit 55 of just 27 deliveries.
At 81/4 after 12.5 overs, India had their backs against the wall and Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya had a huge task on their hands.
Their stand of 65 on just 33 deliveries gave much-needed momentum in what had hitherto been a meek effort. Pandya scored 46 off just 31 before being sacked by Ngidi, with Shamsi making a brilliant catch. Dinesh Karthik would continue in the same vein despite losing his partner and raising his first T20I fifty.
He would then immediately back down and attempt a big slog sweep against Dwaine Pretorius, but it was well done in a knockout of 55. India managed to score 73 runs in their last five overs, ending with a very competitive score of 169/6, thanks in large part to the couple’s efforts. In response, India pooled the Proteas to just 87.
At half a century at 37 years, 16 days – Dinesh Karthik became the oldest Indian to break the 50-run mark in T20Is (against South Africa, 2022).
MS Dhoni was 36 years and 229 days old when he hit 50 runs against South Africa in 2018. The third oldest is Shikhar Dhawan who achieved the feat at 35 years, 1 day against Australia in 2020.
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After India’s 82-run victory, the series is now perfectly set for a thrilling final in Bengaluru. South Africa were brilliant in the first two games, but the hosts have fought back with great enthusiasm to raise the scores.
The fifth and final clash will be played on June 19 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, with a winner being hard to predict. However, with the T20 World Cup not far away, a pressure cooker situation will be the perfect preparation for both sides en route to Australia.
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