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Dinesh Karthik's 'positive intent' paying off
Dinesh Karthik's sublime touch and rich vein of form in IPL 6 can be attributed to a successful domestic season, says Bikash Mohapatra.
Mumbai Indians' high-profile opening combination -- Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting -- may have failed to make much of an impact thus far in IPL 6, but their No.3 has ensured the team doesn't suffer much.
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Yes, Dinesh Karthik is a revelation in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Be it his 37-ball 60 in Mumbai's opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy, or his 25-ball 37 in their second match against Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk, Karthik is hitting the ball really well.
Karthik went into a different zone at Wankhede
Against Delhi Daredevils at the Wankhede on Tuesday, the 27-year-old went into a different zone altogether, scoring a masterclass 48-ball 86. His flamboyant innings, coupled with a 132-run third wicket stand with Rohit Sharma (74 not out), not only made Mumbai Indians -- having lost both their openers with just a run on board -- the first team to register a 200-plus total (209 for five) in this edition but also made the second innings redundant.
It is not that Karthik has shown this consistency for the first time. In fact, he has given ample glimpses of his batting talent time and again.
However, what makes his performance in this tournament, in particular, special is the manner in which he is dominating the bowlers.
Against Delhi, in particular, he offered no respect to the fact that he was facing the likes of Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav.
'The orange cap gives a good feeling, that you are contributing to the team'
"I am not making a conscious effort to hit the ball hard. I'm only playing with a positive intent," explained Karthik, when asked about his good batting form.
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It is this positive intent that has seen him score 183 runs in Mumbai's opening three matches, and at an impressive strike rate (166).
Tuesday's whirlwind innings against Delhi helped him snatch the Orange Cap - awarded to the tournament's highest scorer - from Virat Kohli's head, the young Delhi batsman having got hold of it in the day's first match.
"The Orange Cap gives a good feeling that you are contributing to the team," admitted Karthik.
Asked about his sudden aggressive approach and the wicketkeeper-batsman put it down to consistency.
'Batting at No.3 gives me an opportunity to play the powerplay overs'
"The whole year has been good for me," he reasoned, adding, "I had a good domestic season - scoring 577 runs in eight matches (@64.11) for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy -- and have carried forward that confidence into this tournament."
The 27-year-old was quick to point out that batting up the order had helped matters as well.
"Batting at No.3 gives me an opportunity to play the powerplay overs," explained Karthik.
"I haven't set any targets for myself but would like to get as many runs as possible for the team's cause," he added.
His contribution so far has ensured Mumbai Indians the top spot a week into the sixth edition. Should Karthik be able to maintain his high levels, his team will certainly go far in the tournament.