I need to finish games off, says Mumbai Indians' Dinesh Karthik
Asked if the team thought that Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar were giving slow starts and whether the opening pair could be tinkered with, Karthik said, "Two players of highest quality. Definitely they would be opening, there is no doubt in that." Karthik was non-committal to a question whether West Indian all-rounder Pollard would be promoted up the order.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: April 08, 2013 08:47 PM IST
In-form Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Karthik on Monday said that he would look to finish off matches by staying till the end.
Karthik scored a blitzkrieg of 60 off 37 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore in MI's opening IPL game and followed it with a breezy 37 off 25 balls against Chennai Super Kings.
"I am happy with the way I am batting. But I feel that I need to finish games off. I feel I should have finished the game in Bangalore but Pollard did that wonderfully for us in Chennai. If you are batting well, it is important to finish games off," Karthik said at the pre-game media conference ahead of MI's tie against Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday.
Karthik brought MI to the doorsteps of victory against RCB before he was out in the last over. MI lost the match by two runs. In the second game, Pollard played a blinder to take MI to challenging total of 148 after Karthik had laid the platform.
On playing under new captain Ricky Ponting, Karthik said, "To be honest, he is one of my favourite players. I have always admired his batting and I was looking forward to meeting him and being part of his team. The positive energy and the way he is doing things is wonderful. Really looking forward to a good few more games with him."
Asked if the team thought that Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar were giving slow starts and whether the opening pair could be tinkered with, Karthik said, "Two players of highest quality. Definitely they would be opening, there is no doubt in that."
"They (Tendulkar and Ponting), in fact, got us off to a good start with 50 in seven overs. Considering we were chasing 155, if get seven-over 50, you need to get 100 in 13 overs which is what the middle order batsmen are capable of. We are very happy with the way things are going," Karthik said.
"It was important to see off the initial overs in the two wickets we played. The ball was seaming in Bangalore and in Chennai also it was a wicket that had a bit in it. And that was the reason we got so close in Bangalore as well because we did not lose any initial wickets," he added.
On Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga's (who missed the last two games due to a sore back) availability for tomorrow's match, he said, "We will take a call tomorrow depending on how he feels. He is here for practice and I am sure he is looking forward to the game tomorrow."
Karthik was non-committal to a question whether West Indian all-rounder Pollard would be promoted up the order.
"These are the things you need to ask team management. I am a player. I am given a certain spot and I am looking forward to doing well in the spot given to me. These are the decision you need to be asking the captain or the coach."