He is the man of the IPL for me: Virat Kohli praises Dinesh Karthik

By: PTIMumbai | Updated: April 20, 2022 11:49:17 am

Calling him the man of the IPL so far, Virat Kohli feels his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Dinesh Karthik has made a strong case for another India comeback with his stellar run in the T20 tournament so far.

Kathik, who has been playing the role of a finisher for RCB, has had the highest strike rate among the leading run-getters in the tournament scoring 197 runs in six innings at 209.57. He has only been dismissed once in the tournament.

On Saturday night, he smashed an unbeaten 66 off 34 balls as RCB beat Delhi Capitals by 16 runs.

In a conversation with Karthik on iplt20.com, Kohli said it has been a joy and honour to watch the wicket-keeper batter go about his business in the competition.

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“I am here with the man of the IPL for me so far…It’s been wonderful. I won’t even say ‘long may it continue’ because it will and you’re in that space and I can see that. It was an honour to watch you bat again,” said Kohli. The former India captain said his long-time RCB teammate AB de Villiers will also be proud of Karthik for finishing games for the franchise like the South African used to do.

Karthik’s last outing for the national team was in 2019 and since then, he has been out of favour. However, the 36-year-old now wants to make a comeback and be the man who will help India win a multi-nation trophy.

“The bigger vision was to play for the country. I know there is a World Cup around the corner. I want to be part of that World Cup desperately and help India cross the line.

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Karthik was also asked about the chants in the middle. In a midst of his calculated aggression, the crowd at Wankhede stadium began to rally around their talisman. “DK DK,” the arena echoed and even the good-old demand for a sixer began to reverberate around: “Dk DK, we want a sixer!”

“Everybody who loves to do something on a public scale enjoys the name being called out. The greatest of the athletes, the greatest of musicians, and artists all over the world crave that feeling. The fact that I am getting it right now makes me feel very blessed and grateful. These are the moments that people play sports for or do something creative and hope these things happen,” Karthik said in the post-match mood video put out by RCB.

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“Now to get that is a great feeling,” he said.

Karthik last played for India in the ODI World Cup in 2019. The 36-year-old is used to making comebacks ever since making his debut in 2004. He has played 36 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20 Internationals.

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