Mumbai: Former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma was at his brilliant best in sledging during the encounter between MI and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 17th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
The India skipper was having a good time on the field with his friend and RCB batter Dinesh Karthik after the latter smashed 53 off just 23 balls to help his team post 196 in 20 overs against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the opening match of the IPL 2024 on Thursday. Rohit was heard to tease Karthik with a comment about the selection of players for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"Shabash DK! World Cup khelna hai abhi. (Well done DK! There is a T20 World Cup coming up)," Rohit was caught saying on the stump mic to Karthik.
Karthik had replaced Shikhar Dhawan as the wicketkeeper for India in the last T20 World Cup played in Australia with a brilliant performance in the IPL. And this time too, the seasoned cricketer has shown no sign of slowing down.
Karthik, who has announced IPL 2024 to be his last appearance in the league, completed his half-century off 22 balls, hitting five boundaries and four sixes, perfectly playing the finisher's role in the team which has lacked formidable batting from top names including Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green in the season.
Talking about the match, RCB managed to reach to 196 for 8 despite Jasprit Bumrah's five-wicket haul. While Faf du Plessis made 61 off 40 balls, Rajat Patidar hit 50 off 26 balls. Towards the end, Dinesh Karthik made a 23-ball unbeaten 53-run cameo to take RCB to a competitive total. Chasing, Ishan Kishan blasted a 34-ball 69, while Suryakumar Yadav scored a 19-ball 52 as MI overwhelmed the target in 15.3 overs.
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