Karthik hits an high to a staggered career

Wicketkeeper soaks in the adulation

Dinesh Karthik is a restless chappie. Always has been, always will be. Fidgety and superstitious at the crease, a live-wire behind the stumps who sometimes begins to appeal even before he has caught the ball, the small man from Tamil Nadu turned out to be the big star in the Nidahas Trophy 2018.

A day before the final, journalists from three countries waited eagerly for Rohit Sharma to come and speak for the Indian team. Instead, Karthik arrived, and was disarmingly candid. At a time when most players talk of focussing on processes or putting the ball in the right areas, Karthik opened up.

When asked if Bangladesh were a tricky opponent to face in a final, he said: "When we play Bangladesh, if we win it's like 'Ok, you've won against Bangladesh', but if we lose it's like: 'Dude, you've lost to Bangladesh. What are you doing?''

When asked if the lack of crowds in India's earlier games against Bangladesh in Colombo made a difference, he said: "See I think a noisy crowd makes a massive difference, especially when you are short on motivation in the field … I'm not sure how many people are going to turn up - I genuinely wish they turn up in good numbers."

When asked how important this tournament was to him, personally, he said: "Every match is important because opportunities are few and far in between, I have to be performing. Where I am, I also want to be a person that every time I'm getting an opportunity they are like: 'Wow, this guy can really do well and he needs to be there.'"

Wow! That certainly was the first reaction after Karthik was named Man of the Match despite having faced just eight balls in the final. Each of those balls was made to count, each question that was asked a day before was answered emphatically.

Karthik, for years, has been labelled an under-achiever. His backers believe he should be in the team for his batting alone, and his detractors point to less than flattering returns in the few scattered chances he has got. What most people fail to realise is that Karthik's career, and his chances of holding down a regular spot in the Indian team, were all but made impossible by the presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Karthik made his debut before Dhoni, and with Dhoni gone from two formats, the door is open once more, while he is still 32 years old. This is a second wind, and Karthik is used to life dealing him such cards, on and off the field.

When Rohit Sharma was dismissed, the first person he encountered on walking off the field was Karthik. "I went and sat in the dugout and Karthik was quite upset that he didn't bat at six. But I told him: 'I want you to bat and finish off the game for us, because whatever skill you have, it will be required in the last three or four overs'… That is the only reason he was not batting at six in the 13th over when I got out.

"He was quite upset with that. Again, he'll be quite happy now how he finished off the game. Most important thing he has is belief in himself. Whatever situation comes, he's ready - whether he bats up the order or down the order. That's the kind of guy we need in our team."

On the morning of the final, Karthik took to social media, with a simple message: "Last day of the tour, wish we finish it off in style." How prophetic that turned out to be, except it was he and not "we" who finished it off in style.