India lost the third and final T20I against New Zealand in Hamilton by a close margin. The Men in Blue needed 16 runs in the last over but could score only 11.
Dinesh Karthik managed two runs in first ball and the dot in the second ball. When he hit the third ball, there was a possibility of a single, but he refused. Krunal Pandya, who was batting really well at the end, had no idea on why he was denied the single. In the end, India lost by four runs with Karthik smashing the last ball for a maximum.
The 33-year-old cricketer recently opened up on why he refused to take the single.
“I think Krunal and I batted really well from that situation. We were able to bring the match down to a place where the bowlers were under pressure. We backed ourselves to do the job. And at that stage, I genuinely believed that I could hit a six,” he was quoted saying as per PTI.
“As a middle-order batsman, a lot of times you have to trust your ability to play those big shots under pressure. It is also important to trust your partner at that time. I did not come off on that occasion but those things happen in the game of cricket. Some days you are able to hit a boundary, some days the bowler does a good job. And there, you have to give credit to Time Southee for the way he executed those yorkers under pressure. One mistake there and I am sure we would have take him down,” Karthik explained.
When asked if the team management talked with him on not taking the single, Karthik said, “They were all aware of the situation and knew we both did the best we could. On that day, we were not good enough. But the support staff, as it has been around for a long time, understood it (our game plan). As I said, you keep practising those situations and because the belief I had in overcoming those situations in practice, I trusted myself do the job in the middle. I was not able to deliver it that day. That is what sport is. The more you back yourself, the more consistent you become in finishing the game.”
India also lost the three-match T20I series 1-2 to New Zealand.
