Former Indian wicketkeeper Saba Karim opined that Dinesh Karthik couldn’t perform well earlier in his career because the latter didn’t have proper clarity of his role in Team India. After playing in the 2019 World Cup semis, Karthik had to wait three years to make an international comeback. He made his comeback in the T20I series against South Africa where he scored his maiden T20I half-century.
On Friday, July 29, Dinesh Karthik also received the Player of the Match award after scoring an unbeaten 41 off 19 balls against the West Indies. India won the match at Brian Lara Stadium by 68 runs. Saba Karim said that, previously, the Tamil Nadu-born Karthik didn’t have an idea how to carry forward his knocks as he didn’t have role clarity.
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As per the quotes in India Today, Saba Karim said, “When Dinesh Karthik used to bat up the order a couple of years back, we were all wondering why he wasn’t able to perform, despite the potential. He was failing back then because there was no clarity regarding his role. He had no idea when he had to play the big shots, or when he had to take the singles. He has a clear role now and that is why his performances have improved significantly.”
He further elaborated, “The management has assigned this specific role to him and they have been consistently sending him in such situations. It doesn’t matter which position he is batting at, his job is to only play three or four overs. He has done his preparation according to this plan, and that’s why he has been successful.”
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Dinesh Karthik performed exceptionally for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), after which he was called back to the Indian team. The veteran is now being deemed to play a crucial role for India in the T20 World Cup later this year. Karthik will be featuring in India’s playing XI of the second T20I of the 5-match series against West Indies at the Caribbean Islands.
Meanwhile, one of the BCCI selectors has also said to InsideSport that Dinesh Karthik is complete certainty for the upcoming T20 World Cup. “Who can stop Dinesh Karthik now? He is certainty now for T20 World Cup in Australia. He is consistent in his approach and most importantly consistently delivering via his approach. His experience will now be a big asset”, he said on condition of anonymity.
However, it will be interesting whether Dinesh Karthik manage to seal his place in the squad or not.
