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Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Dinesh Karthik pulled off a sensational catch in a do-or-die contest against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Karthik’s dazzling effort behind the stumps handed Steve Smith-led Royals a huge blow as they lost their star opener, Ben Stokes, early in their chase of 192 runs. Stokes, who was the chief architect of Rajasthan’s last two wins against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), could only score 18 off 11 balls.
It all happened in the third over of RR innings bowled by pacer Pat Cummins. The right-armer came round the wicket to Stokes and delivered the white leather just around the off stump. Seeing the width on offer, the English all-rounder decided to have a wild swing at it, but all he managed was a thick edge that flew away behind the stumps.
Karthik saw the opportunity and dived to his left to take an unbelievable catch. The wicket-keeper’s phenomenal effort reminded many fans of a catch he took in the slip cordon against South Africa during 2007 T20 World Cup.
Here’s the video:
https://twitter.com/CowCorner9/status/1322948900542504960
https://twitter.com/Cric_life59/status/1322939295364075520
“Everything fell into place:” Cummins on his match-winning show
Cummins, who ended Stokes’ innings, performed outstandingly well in the match. In his quota of four overs, the 27-year-old seamer bagged four wickets and conceded 34 runs. He received the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his game-changing bowling. Cummins’ exceptional show before Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 68 guided KKR to register a 60-run victory over Royals.
After the match, Cummins spoke about his incredible performance, stating that along with his hard work, luck also played its part and therefore everything fell into the right place for him. The Aussie remarked that he wasn’t good when IPL 2020 started, but as the tournament progressed, he has become a better bowler.
“Not really, don’t think I expected to get all wickets like that. Some days you bowl well and don’t get luck, some days you get a bit of luck as well. Today, everything fell into place. I guess early on in the season, and I put a lot of pressure on myself. As the tournament has gone on, I’ve got better and better. You’re always learning,” said Cummins at the post-match presentation.
