“If you believe yourself, everything will fall into place!” (Sparkles emoji) “Thank you for all the support and belief…the hard work continues…”
Read again.
Yes, you are right, this is Dinesh Karthik.
The sparkles emoji suggests magic; his career has been nothing short of that. As for the caption aren’t his words and deeds same?
He tweeted this upon yet another national team call-up — this time for the upcoming home T20I series against South Africa — which he termed as the ‘most special comeback’.
It is indeed one.
DK — as he is fondly called — has been in and out of the Indian cricket team since his debut in 2004. Keep aside his career timeline, highlights and records.
Think of his never-say-die attitude, the resilience.
Today there exist a handful of cricketers who debuted in the early 2000s. Almost all have retired. Some are calling matches, wearing coaches hat or are into administration. But this wicket-keeper batsman, despite being aware of his chances being vague, kept at it.
Even if he performed or perished, Karthik never really got the long rope he deserved. Let bygones be bygones. Over the years, he has put excellent performances in the domestic circuit, in the Indian Premier League and also during occasional India call-ups.
But the DK we witnessed in this year’s IPL never looked 36.
It’s the very Dinesh Karthik, who believe it or not, managed to remain unbeaten in 10 out of his 16 IPL contests this time around.
That’s when those around him were no mugs with the bat- think Faf, think Kohli, do not forget a certain Rajat Patidar. And hey, there was a bloke known as Glenn Maxwell as well.
But it took not the lion-esque Faf, the former Proteas captain and not even the never-say-die epitomising Kohli to do what Dinesh Karthik did.
Which was to put bowlers to the sword with the barest twitch of a muscle; he’d emerge with a strike rate north of 181.
Who thought that coming.
And maybe that is the beauty if Dinesh Karthik that he’s that climax to a movie which we never wish ends; one that actually gets better just when it seems that others in the plot are perhaps ruing the chance to see something exciting.
Never change, Mr. DK.
Happy birthday!
