Twitter went wild as Dinesh Karthik hit a last-ball six to help India beat Bangladesh by four wickets in Nidahas T20 tri-series final at Colombo on Sunday.
India were very much out of the contest when they needed 34 runs off the last two overs as most of the established batsmen were back in the dugout. However, Karthik had other ideas and smashed an 8-ball 29* to do what appeared impossible at one time. (Read the whole account of Karthik's heroics here)
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar led congratulatory messages for the 32-year-old wicketkeeper batsman.
Amazing victory by #TeamIndia. Superb batting by @DineshKarthik. A great knock by @ImRo45 to set the platform.
What a finish to a final!!#NidahasTrophy2018 #INDvsBAN pic.twitter.com/ZYDl6jzVWl
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 18, 2018
Karthik really batted like a man possessed. First he took 22 runs off the Ruben Hossain over with shots of 6,4,6,0,2,4 to set it up nicely, and then hit Soumya Sarkar for a six over the covers off the last ball of the match - with India needing five runs to win - to help the team stay unbeaten against Bangladesh in eight T20s. Watch how Karthik hit that six.
#DineshKarthik#INDvBAN
What moment excellent performance
pic.twitter.com/RyW0TVi2mY— Dinesh (@dineshdones) March 18, 2018
India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, rested for the tri-series, was also unequivocal in his praise of the man from Tamil Nadu. (Read the match report here)
What a finish!!! Well played big guy @DineshKarthik. Outstanding effort by the team. #INDvBAN #topstuff
— Jasprit bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) March 18, 2018
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was another big cricketing name to speak favourably of Karthik's heroics.
29 off 8 balls .. 6 off the last to win the game .. Proper finishing @DineshKarthik .. #BANvIND
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 18, 2018
India's stand-in captain for this tournament in the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma contributed a 42-ball 56 in the chase but Karthik's batting exceeded his effort in terms of importance and it was no surprise he was chosen Man of the Match. Sourav Ganguly, under whom Karthik made his ODI debut way back in 2004, was pleased as punch at his charge's success.
@DineshKarthik @BCCI .. what a knock .. super
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) March 18, 2018
Shikhar Dhawan, India's top scorer in the tournament with 198 runs only behind Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera (214) and Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim (199), couldn't help praising the extraordinary six that Karthik hit off the bowling of Sarkar.
What a game! What a final! What a player! @DineshKarthik you beauty! That was a great shot under pressure to finish things off! Hats off #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/fxPH8OPRPJ
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) March 18, 2018
India had started their campaign with a loss against Sri Lanka but they made an extraordinary comeback with four straight wins, with every player contributing in one way or another. However, one can confidently say Karthik's last-ball six will be that one memory that will be forever etched in fans' minds.
