India squash star Dipika Pallikal took to social media to express her happiness over husband Dinesh Karthik's match-winning knock in the Nidahas Trophy final Sunday, March 19 in Colombo.
The 26-year-old Commonwealth Games doubles gold medalist posted a photo of Karthik celebrating India's win at the R Premadasa Stadium. She wrote "#proudwife" as the caption for the image.
Karthik has been the toast of cricket fans in the country ever since the 32-year-old hit a quickfire 29 to help India beat Bangladesh by four wickets and win the Nidahas Trophy tri-nation series tournament at the R Premadasa Stadium.
India were in a spot of bother during their chase of 169 when Karthik walked out to bat at number seven. Skipper Rohit Sharma had smashed a 42-ball 56 but the momentum swung Bangladesh's way after his wicket.
The Men in Blue were facing an uphill task of getting 34 off their last 12 but Karthik held his nerves and collected 22 runs off the penultimate over and went on to hit a six off the last ball, much to the delight of the Indian and Sri Lankan fans at the R Premadasa Stadium.
Even as his teammates rushed onto the ground in elation, Karthik cut a composed figure after helping India prevail in the last-ball thriller.
"Probably one of the best nights of my life. Nothing comes close to crossing the finish line for your country..," Karthik wrote on Instagram sharing a photograph of himself with his Man of the Match award.
Karthik credits support staff
The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, who had been in and out of the team ever since he made his international debut in 2004, thanked the support staff for extending support.
"The Indian team is a tough place to get an opportunity, but once you get it, you have to take it. And credit to the backroom staff, they have always supported me and I'm really happy," Karthik said during the post-match presentation ceremony Sunday in Colombo.
Notably, the Tamil Nadu batsman remained unbeaten throughout the tri-nation series, hitting 85 runs from six matches, which includes some key contributions to the team's cause.
Karthik will be back in action in April when he leads Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 11th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). A good performance in the cash-rich league will only further his chances of cementing his place in the Indian limited-over sides.
