Krishnamachari Srikkanth claims that Dinesh Karthik cannot be defined as a finisher based on his performance in the last overs

When Dinesh Karthik strengthened significantly in IPL 2022 with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), he returned to international cricket to finish on T20Is. At the moment, the card is setting the pace, providing India with much-needed easy outings in the last few overs. But Srikkanth doesn’t think it’s enough for anyone to be labeled a “finisher.”

Before the start of the third T20II between India and West Indies, Srikkanth remarked: Karthik only strikes hard in the last few overs. That’s why he can’t be called a finisher. In addition, the former national player cited the exceptional hitting of Suryakumar Yadav that took place in England and opined that in order to be called a finisher, then he needs, like Suryakumar, to lead the ship from the middle of the innings.

“Yes, Dinesh has been doing very well. He has been brilliant in the IPL and a few matches here. But that is not a finisher! A guy who can take the match from the 8th or 9th over and finish it can be called a finisher. What Dinesh is doing can be called final touches. Take Suryakumar Yadav. We saw that he almost single-handedly won the match in England. That’s the finishing role. Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant are finishers… and our captain (Rohit) can open and play till the 17th over in 12th gear is also a finisher,” Srikkanth said on FanCode ahead of the contest.

“An actual finisher doesn’t play between 16-20 overs. A finisher is a guy who takes the match along from 8th or 9th over and eventually finishes with 60-odd runs. Dinesh’s role is defined. He is doing fantastic but he is fine-tuning the finishing role instead of actually being a finisher.”

Thus, Karthik didn’t need to bat Tuesday because of a 44-strike Surjakumar 76 and a 26-ball Rishabh Pant 33 to reach the target of 165 with seven wickets and six more balls to spare.