Great to watch Dhoni finish off an innings – Dinesh Karthik

Karthik arrived at the crease in the 44th over, with India still needing 57 runs from 38 deliveries to level the series 1-1 after they succumbed to an opening game defeat in Sydney.

Alongside former India captain Dhoni, Karthik guided the chase in expert fashion, finishing unbeaten on 25 from just 14 balls. At the other end, Dhoni reached his second fifty of the series, as a six from the first ball of Jason Behrendorff’s final over was followed by a single to seal victory.

"I think he’s been pretty solid this series," said Karthik after the match. "It was great to watch him bat and finish off an innings and we know he can absorb pressure and release it back to the opponents when the time is right and that’s always been his strength and today you saw a perfect example of that."

Dhoni’s innings saw some worthy perseverance from the 37-year old, as he battled through cramp on a hot evening in Adelaide.

“I think it was a very hot day, everybody tries to have as much liquids as we could but he was still going through a lot of cramps,” added Karthik.

“The fact that he was batting for a long long time didn’t help either. With me being there I run a lot, I run twos, threes, I was pushing him so it was that much more harder for him so I think next time we play together he’d prefer somebody else there who can hit a boundary or two faster, but it was good, just batting with him after a long time actually, it felt good.”

For Karthik, there was personal satisfaction to be found in his own hand with the bat, as he outlined the difficulties of the finisher role he has taken on within this Indian side.

"This is probably one of the hardest skills in the game because to finish a match and be on the winning side is something that is great to be a part of," said Karthik.

"Obviously batting in the powerplay and batting up front is a different kind of challenge, batting in the middle where the ball is reversing a bit, the bowlers are sure of what lengths to bowl on the wicket, a lot of different challenges. It feels good to come out and execute the plans you have and put pressure on the opponent."

Karthik also made note of the benefits on offer for batting on Australian wickets, with his short cameo including two boundaries and plenty of running between the wickets.

"Bigger grounds here in Australia so you try and run hard, you pick gaps, you kind of wait for the bad ball," said Karthik.

"Also having said that these are true wickets you can hit through the line. A lot of the time in India it keeps a little low sometimes but here the ball comes on to the bat so you can trust yourself and go over fielders which is really helpful in Australia.”

The third and final ODI will take place on Friday in Melbourne.