Dinesh Karthik has been recalled to the Indian side for the T20Is against South Africa. He has termed it the 'most special comeback'.
Next month, Team India is slated to take on South Africa in a five-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series. The squad for the Indian side was announced on Sunday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI's) All-India Senior Selection Committee. The squad saw some of the top players rested after intense exposure to the bubble during the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Meanwhile, it also recalled veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, thanks to his commendable stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022. He looks to contribute more during the playoffs, while he has rated his India recall as the "most special comeback".
In IPL 2022, Karthik has attained 287 runs in 14 innings, the third most for RCB, at a healthy average of 57.40 and a strike rate of 191.33, including a half-century, while his top score happens to be an unbeaten 66. His last T20I for India was back in 2019 against Australia, while his previous outing for Team India was in the same year during the side's semi-final loss to New Zealand in the ICC World Cup.
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In a video posted by RCB on its social media, Karthik stated, "Very happy, very, very satisfying, must say that this has been probably my most special comeback because many people had given up on me. To come back and do what I did, practice the way I did with my coach [Abhishek] Nayar, so many special things that have happened in the lead-up to the auction, and how I practised post that."
"I think I started believing for a long time now, I was always believing, but people around me gave me the feeling that you should not dream too much. I took up the role of a commentator for a bit, and obviously, that made it look like I was no more interested in trying to come back to the Indian team. But, I have always said that playing in the Indian team is a priority for me. Because I had time, I did it [the commentary], and I am very excited about it [earning T20I recall]," concluded Karthik.
