Dinesh Karthik sends strong message after heroics against RR

The evergreen Dinesh Karthik put up a batting masterclass against a famed Rajasthan Royals bowling attack on Tuesday (April 6) as Royal Challengers Bangalore recorded their victory in IPL 2022. Chasing 170 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, RCB found themselves in a spot of bother after being reduced to 62/4 in 8.5 overs.

With the required run rate going up constantly and the top order back in the hut, RCB’s defeat looked like a mere formality. However, in came Dinesh Karthik at number seven and did what he does the best. Facing the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Trent Boult, the dasher played some delightful shots all over the park and turned the tide in RCB’s favour in no time.

He eventually remained unbeaten on 44 off 23 balls as Bangalore crossed the line in 19.1 overs, clinching the contest by four wickets. While Shahbaz Ahmed’s 26-ball 45 also helped RCB, it was Karthik who took the responsibility of bringing the required run rate down. Meanwhile, the wicketkeeper-batter has now played unbeaten knocks in RCB’s all three games this season.

The way I trained was much better: Dinesh Karthik

As he didn’t enjoy a great outing in the last couple of IPL seasons, where he represented Kolkata Knight Riders, many didn’t back the 36-year-old to make a strong comeback. The veteran, however, silenced his critics in arguably the best possible manner. After taking RCB over the line, Karthik revealed he trained rigorously and the results are evident.

“I think I made a conscious effort this year to do justice to myself because the last year, I felt I could have done better. The way I trained was much better this time around. Credit to the person who trained with me. I’m making a conscious effort to tell myself that I’m not done yet,” said Karthik at the presentation ceremony.

“When I went in, we needed 12 rpo and had to keep going. I train for these situations. To stay calm and know whom you can take down. I’ve tried to play as much white-ball cricket as possible, and prepare as many scenarios as possible. Lot of people have spent time with me in this journey, leading up to the tournament and it’s the work that goes unnoticed mostly,” he added.