Dinesh Karthik did a great job in IPL 2022. After this he returned to Team India after three years. He did well in the series against South Africa. Now it is believed that his selection in Team India for T20 World Cup is fixed. However, this was not the case a year ago. He scored just 223 runs in 17 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Apart from playing in the IPL, Karthik was also seen doing commentary during the final of the World Test Championship and the India vs England Test series. Veteran Sunil Gavaskar was also a part of this commentary panel. During this he spent a lot of time with Karthik. The former Team India cricketer told how Karthik was busy trying to return to Team India on the England tour.
Gavaskar said, “When we (he and Dinesh Karthik) went for the World Test Championship, we were having lunch, breakfast, dinner together. There he was telling me about his ambition to return to the Indian team for the T20 World Cup. He was not part of the team in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) World Cup, but he could be part of the flight to Melbourne.
The ‘Little Master’ also spoke about Kartik’s practice routine, which consisted of keeping various things in mind and training as needed. He said, “He was telling me how he was thinking about the situation and practicing accordingly. He was not practicing just like that, he was practicing with a lot of thought. He was practicing according to the position in which he would go to bat on the field.
Elaborating further, Gavaskar said, “If you are batting on 6 and 7, you will get 20 overs, not 18 overs. You will only get 5-6 overs, maybe nine overs to bat on if the wickets fall too much. Were practicing on how to bat in those nines. He was also training. He left the hotel gym for better convenience. He was looking to do some special training. He lent his name to the club. It tells you about the dedication and eagerness to make a comeback in the Indian team.”