Nostalgia Cam: The Karthik who did it first
A last ball six is the elixir of greatness. It has healing properties that cure any curse that preceded the six. Such is the magic of this six that even the one who concedes it earns a place for himself in the folklore. A last-ball six is the last argument of a fan struggling to defend his fandom for a star.
A Javed Miandad supporter will always have the last laugh in an argument because the Pakistan stalwart hit a last-ball six against the arch-rivals. The pain that Dinesh Karthik inflicted on Bangladesh in Sri Lanka will never be measured any less than the famous run out by Dhoni that denied them the glory in Bengaluru. Grant Elliot depositing Dale Steyn into the stands to deny South Africa a World Cup final berth will always feature in the promotional ads for the tournament. And Carlos Brathwaite’s name will always be remembered.
In the 2011 Champions League T20, Arun Karthik scripted the same heroic that, even after almost a decade, continues to be one of the most memorable moments for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The sea of red and gold at the Chinnaswamy was ready to witness a run scoring extravaganza against the Australian tourists. Chinnaswamy never shies away from a cracker of contest and it was no different. Redbacks set the home team a massive target of 215.
In reply, Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan began the run chase for RCB. After Gayle got out, Virat Kohli and Dilshan brought up a 100-run partnership which was steering RCB towards a successful run chase. But after both the well-set batsmen were dismissed, the equation kept getting beyond manageable for RCB. Only a miracle could save RCB.
It all came down to this: Four balls, 13 runs required, and two new batsmen in the middle. Sreenath Aravind consumed 3 balls to yield 7 runs.
With six runs required off the last delivery, Arun Karthik took strike. It was going to be his moment. The moment every batsman dreams of: a last-ball six to take his team past the line. The visualization met reality and bam! SIX!
Karthik slog-swept Dan Christian and the ball travelled 20 rows over midwicket, delighting the fans with one of the most magical finishes in the history of Royal Challengers Bangalore.
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