India vs West Indies: Dinesh Karthik Says He Wanted To Absorb The Pressure And Help Team Win

India beat the Windies by five wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. In the tricky run-chase of 110, the Indian team stuttered as the tourists were kept taking wickets at regular intervals, not allowing the hosts to settle down. However, a 38-run partnership between Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey steadied the Indian innings in the middle overs as they edged nearer to victory. After Manish Pandey's dismissal, Karthik played smart cricket, not taking any unnecessary risk and kept the scoreboard ticking. Karthik along with debutant Krunal Pandya stitched together an unbeaten 27-run partnership to help India win the tie.

Talking about his calculated innings, Karthik said that his role in the team is to absorb pressure and help India win. 

"Going down the order, I wanted to just absorb the pressure and try to help the team win, that's my role,"Karthik said post-match.

"As a senior player, I keep telling myself, need to absorb pressure, but at the same time play positive cricket, make sure I bat through and take on the bowlers. Didn't need to bat at a 150 strike-rate in this game," Karthik added.

Karthik further said that the wicket had a lot of both bowlers and batsmen.

"It's a good wicket, there's a lot for the bowlers. This is good to bat on too, but there's always something for the bowlers," Karthik remarked.

The 2nd T20I between India and the Windies will be played on November 6 at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. India lead the three-match series 1-0.

(With IANS inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team Dinesh Karthik Krunal Pandya India vs West Indies 2018 India vs West Indies, 1st T20I Cricket