Dinesh Karthik’s hilarious reaction to Rohit Sharma’s stylish stroke became one of the talking points during the first ODI between India and England at Edgbaston. While on commentary, Karthik held up his phone and showed an image of Lord Shiva in his iconic Nataraj pose after Rohit played a stunning shot. The moment came during India’s chase of 259 when Rohit took on Jofra Archer and played a stylish stroke on the leg side. Describing it as the ‘Nataraja shot’, Karthik explained that the batter lifts his leg while swinging the bat towards the leg side. The stroke is famously associated with former India captain Kapil Dev.
Karthik then showed the image of Lord Shiva’s Nataraj form on his phone to the camera, leaving fans curious about the connection. The gesture was a clever reference to the name of the shot, with Nataraja being one of Lord Shiva’s names and meaning the ‘Lord of Dance’. The moment quickly went viral on social media. However, Rohit could not stay at the crease for long after the stylish stroke. The veteran batter was dismissed for 11 off 21 balls in the following over after mistiming a shot against Sam Curran, with England captain Harry Brook completing the catch. Virat Kohli also fell cheaply for five as England’s bowlers briefly put India under pressure. Despite the early setbacks, India went on to register a comfortable six-wicket win over England. Shubman Gill top-scored with 80 before retiring hurt due to cramps, while Axar Patel and Washington Sundar stitched together an unbeaten partnership to take India over the line with 28 balls to spare.
