Comeback man Karthik shows India the way

When Dinesh Karthik walked into bat, India were in a spot of bother on a difficult batting surface. Captain Rishabh Pant had once again been sucked into chasing a wide delivery outside off, reducing India to 81/4 in 12.5 overs.

That's when Karthik, the 37-year-old comeback man turned the match around with a fifty that left no doubt about why he is India's best bet as a finisher. His innings 55 (27, 9x4, 2x6) proved to be decisive on Friday as South Africa capitulated for 87 to hand India a massive 82-run win and set the series up for a decider on Sunday.

Karthik began by stroking boundaries straight down the ground against the seamers. But as soon as South Africa brought left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj into the attack in the 17th over, his 360-degree shots came into play.

With boundaries off a sweep, reverse pull and a lofted drive, Karthik was beginning to look just as dangerous as he did playing for RCB in the IPL. In the next over, he took on pacer Dwaine Pretorius.

India had another 16 run-over to add to the two previous overs where they had managed 28 runs. By the time Karthik holed out in the deep, taking one risk too many, he had 55 runs to his name at a strike rate of 203.

India had raced to 159, with five balls to go. "Risk is something you need to absorb and accept when you play T20 cricket," he said during the innings break.

It was Karthik's first fifty in T20I cricket. He was also there when India played their first ever T20I in 2006. "I feel old every time someone tells me this," he said.

Regardless, no one younger is playing better and he appears to be in a pole position to be India's designated finisher for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Earlier, for nearly the entire set of six overs that followed the opening six where India scored 40/2, South Africa had managed to keep two of India's high intent batters – Hardik Pandya and Pant quiet on a two-paced wicket.

Something had to give with India going at less than 6 runs an over. Pant reverse swept Tabraiz Shamsi in the 12th. A lunging Keshav Maharaj spilled a catch at backward point. Pant survived. Next ball, Pandya got two balls in his arc and swatted them away with disdain over the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Just when India seemed to be finding some momentum to their innings, Maharaj got Pant chasing a wide one outside off stump to fall for a 23-ball 17. In commentary, Sunil Gavaskar was unimpressed. Repeatedly, the visitors had drawn Pant to slash wide outside off.

The wicket wasn't an easy one. Temba Bavuma was hit on the helmet by Bhuvneshwar Kumar who got one to rear off the surface. The previous one had kept low.

In the 5th over, South Africa suffered a body blow when Pretorius and Quinton de Kock got involved in a horrible mix-up that accounted for the dangerous southpaw's wicket off a run-out. Then Pretorius perished for no score.

Half way through the innings, South Africa were 58/3, effectively 4-down with their captain's left shoulder strapped. Soon enough, Harshal Patel knocked down David Miller's off stump on 9. Rassie van der Dussan (20) holed out to Avesh Khan (4-18-4) in the deep in the 14th and the match was done for all practical purposes.