Former Indian keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik gave a classy response to ex-England captain Michael Vaughan’s jibe at his ritual of pressing his shirt for the Men in Blue’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2026 final on March 8, Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With Vaughan cheekily claiming that the iron must be pressed on the pitch in Ahmedabad, due to Team India loving flat track, Karthik assured him it will remain the same and that the fans can expect some firecrackers.
Why does Dinesh Karthik presses his shirt?
The 40-year-old, who played across formats for India, started the ritual of pressing his shirt during T20 World Cup 2024 and the Men in Blue won the final. He did the same before Champions Trophy 2025 final, Asia Cup 2025 final, Women’s World Cup 2025 final and WPL 2026 final. India emerged victorious on all those occasions, while RCB lifted the WPL trophy earlier this year. With the ritual creating quite a buzz on social media, fans have urged him to do the same ahead of every important occasion to bring in some good omen for India.
With Karthik uploading a video of him pressing his shirt on social media, Vaughan wrote:
“You need to use that Iron on the pitch DK .. India like a flat track.”
Karthik also followed it with a classy response, replying:
“Thats the next progression to this And btw , the pitch is very flat for tonight . So expect some firecrackers.”
Thats the next progression to this
And btw , the pitch is very flat for tonight . So expect some firecrackers 😊
— DK (@DineshKarthik) March 8, 2026
Both Team India and New Zealand have lost their previous game in Ahmedabad:
Both Team India and Ahmedabad suffered losses in their previous T20 World Cup 2026 matches in Ahmedabad, with South Africa beating them. The Men in Blue will also have flashbacks of their defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup final as Pat Cummins and co. silenced a crowd of 1,30,000.
Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner had said in his pre-game presser that he won’t mind breaking a few hearts to lead New Zealand to their maiden T20 World Cup glory. The tourists will take confidence from their massive win over South Africa in Kolkata in the semi-final.
Also Read: Revealed: Will Narendra Modi Attend The IND vs NZ T20 World Cup 2026 Final In Ahmedabad?
