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Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) 20-year-old batter Kartik Sharma, especially his ability to tackle spin.
Kartik Sharma played a key role in CSK's eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Tuesday at Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital. With CSK chasing a 156-run target, Kartik, who CSK acquired for a whopping price of INR 14.20 crores at the IPL 2026 auction, scored an unbeaten 41 off 31 balls and stitched a match-winning partnership of 114 runs along with Sanju Samson to guide CSK home. Kartik's composed innings ensured Samson could bat freely, as the latter finished unbeaten on 87 off 52 deliveries without facing excessive pressure. In his 41-run knock, Kartik scored 26 runs off the pacers and 17 runs off the spinners. Speaking on JioHotstar, Irfan Pathan praised Kartik for his strong off-side play, especially against spin and highlighted his ability to read variations like the googly, attack both pace and spin confidently, and showcase a wide range of shots. "What really stands out in Kartik Sharma's batting is his ability to dominate the off-side, especially against spin. He reads variations well, even picking the googly early, which makes it difficult for bowlers to contain him in the middle overs. He's shown that he can take on both spin and pace, and the confidence from his previous performances is clearly carrying through. Those shots over cover, particularly against quality spinners, show the kind of range he has, and that can have a big impact on his growth as a batter going forward," Irfan Pathan said. Coming to the match, DC opted to bat first and were reduced to 69/5. It was a 65-run stand between Tristan Stubbs (38 in 31 balls, with a four and two sixes) and Sameer Rizvi (40* in 24 balls, with four sixes) that took DC to 155/7 in 20 overs, with Akeal (1/19 in four overs) and Noor (2/22 in three overs) producing lethal spells for CSK. Later, it was Sanju, who made the light work of the chase, sealing the match in just 17.3 overs with eight wickets in hand. After the win, CSK find themselves placed sixth on the IPL 2026 points table with 10 points in as many matches. DC, on the other hand, after the loss, are positioned seventh in the standings with just four wins in 10 matches and eight points to their name. (ANI)
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