Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) star batter Dinesh Karthik reaped harvest for his splendid performances in the ongoing India Premier League (IPL) 2022. After three long years, Karthik will be seen returning to India fold as he was picked in India squad for South Africa five-match T20I series on Sunday which is scheduled to be played from June 9 to June 19.
Right after getting selected to play for the Men in Blue, the Tamil Nadu batter who made his India debut on September 5, 2004 against England, shared a heartfelt photo tweet in which he thanked his fans for their support and reposing belief in him.
"If you believe yourself, everything will fall into place! Thank you for all the support and belief...the hard work continues...," Karthik captioned the photo.
So far in the ongoing 15th season of the IPL, the 37-year-old has amassed 287 runs in 14 matches played and has remained unbeaten on nine occasions. He has mastered in the new role of a finisher and has scored runs with a terrific strike rate of 191.33 at an average of 57.40. Also, he is the third-highest run getter for the Bengaluru-based side and has hammered 22 fours and 21 sixes in the tournament up till now.
Not to forget, Dinesh had made it crystal clear in one of the interviews during IPL 2022 that his ultimate aim was to make an India comeback.
''I must admit that I have a bigger goal. I have been working really hard. My aim is to do something special for the country. This is part of my journey. I have been trying everything to be a part of the Indian team,'' Karthik had said.
However, Karthik did not do any harm when he last played for India. He last featured for India in ODI vs New Zealand, the semi-final that India lost at the ICC ODI World Cup 2019. The last T20 he played was in February of 2019 vs Australia in Bengaluru where he went unbeaten on 8 off 4 balls, including 2 fours. Then suddenly, Karthik was not in India's scheme of things as he did not find his name in the Indian playing XIs and squads.
Meanwhile, as far as his 18-year-long international career is concerned, Karthik has played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20I matches. He was also an integral part of the Indian team that won the inaugural edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa.
