With the increasing absence of former captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from T20 cricket, India needs a batter to fill the number 3 position. Karthik commented on this matter during a Cricbuzz interview, saying, “We shouldn’t forget the potential candidate for the number 3 spot in the Indian team. Regardless of their performance in the next 3 or 6 months, they deserve the opportunity. If Virat Kohli decides to play, great, but if he’s not available, the spot should go to the deserving player, not just someone who performed well elsewhere.”
Karthik highly praised his former Kolkata Knight Riders teammate, stating that he always approached his batting for India with a selfless and explosive mindset. According to Karthik, “We should acknowledge the situation, intent, and context every time he stepped up to the plate. Despite knowing his career was on the line, he still chose to take aggressive and high-risk shots for the benefit of the team in must-win games.”
“What makes him special is that it’s in his DNA to perform in big situations and games,” said Dinesh Karthik, a former cricketer turned commentator, about Rahul Tripathi. “These are the types of players you need because in crucial matches, he will deliver.”
“Despite his career being on the line, he excelled in the last game against Sri Lanka and this game,” noted veteran cricketer. “He doesn’t get many chances, yet he approached it with aggression, took high-risk options, and executed exactly what the captain and coach desired.”
During the show, Karthik also delivered a message to the fans about giving Rahul Tripathi a chance. He said, “This message is not just for Rahul Tripathi, but for all fans who closely follow Indian cricket. Don’t have temporary memory loss in the near future because the names replacing him will be big names. And then, when we look at the score, we might see that he only scored a 40 or a 30.”
In the game, Gill hit a series of boundaries to start off the match, but it was Rahul Tripathi who took over with his improvisation and movement at the crease. The second-wicket partnership reached 50 in 28 balls, with Tripathi contributing 44 off 22 balls to help India reach 234/4 in 20 overs.
India dominated New Zealand’s chase in the third T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, limiting them to 66 in 12.1 overs, securing a commanding 168-run victory.
