IND vs WI 2022, 1st T20I: 'The ultimate goal is to win ICC T20 World Cup' - Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik slammed an unbeaten 41 against Windies in the opening T20I, as India won by 68 runs. However, he has seemingly set his eyes on winning the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup.
FollowTeam India continued its glorious run in the ongoing tour of the West Indies. On Friday, it played the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) against the hosts at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, winning the contest by 68 runs. While the visitors produced an all-round show, in the batting, skipper-cum-opener Rohit Sharma (64) and wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik (41*) allowed India to post a competent total of 190/6. After that, the bowlers put on a consolidated show to get the job done. Meanwhile, Karthik was delighted with his performances of late, especially since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, and has set his eyes on winning the ICC T20 World Cup later this year in Australia.
"When you are back in the middle order, especially at the back end of the game, you need to be very quick on your feet in terms of assessing the conditions, assessing the ball. Also, the kinds of shots you can play," Karthik said in an interview for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin.
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"As you've seen when you [Ashwin] came in, [Ravindra] Jadeja had just got out. That critical game phase would've been the difference between 165 and 190. We stitched together a very creative partnership, running hard in between and then at the back end exploding and making sure we hit those boundaries," added Karthik.
"But, until then, there was a phase where we had to absorb pressure, which I thought we [Karthik and Ashwin] did well. The ultimate goal is to win the T20 World Cup, and I'm sure both of us have a small role to play in that in time," Karthik concluded. The T20WC is scheduled to be played in October-November. India would be looking to move on from its forgettable group-stage ouster in the last year's edition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
