Can Dinesh Karthik's comeback story have a fairy tale World Cup ending?

Close to a year ago, when Dinesh Karthik was on-air as a commentator for Sky Sports, most people thought of it as a signal that he would be hanging up his boots soon. With age not on his side and many younger attacking wicketkeeper-batsman options other than Pant like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan available, few would have thought he had any chance of playing for Team India again.

Fast forward to a year from then, and we are now witnessing one of the most astonishing comebacks by an Indian cricketer in recent memory. As Karthik brought up his maiden T20I fifty in the fourth ODI with strokes all around the park, the stadium reverberated with boisterous chants of 'DK, DK'.

Fittingly, the Player of the Match in that game, Karthik’s innings had changed the course of the game, which till then had been going South Africa’s way.

Dinesh Karthik’s comeback is a testimony to his fitness, improvement in his batting technique, and his never-say-die spirit. At the start of IPL 2022, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had given a clear role to Karthik – the 'finisher'.

In an interview after his first cameo in the IPL where he scored an unbeaten 32 off 14 balls, Karthik had clearly stated that he had 'bigger dreams' and wanted to play for India again. That innings set the tone for a dream IPL for Karthik, where he ended up as the second-highest run-scorer for RCB, amassing 330 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 183.33.

Karthik’s strike rate was the highest in the IPL for any batter with a minimum of 200 runs, ahead of big hitters like Liam Livingstone, Andre Russell, and Glen Maxwell. He clearly delivered what was asked of him in his role as a finisher. His consistency in the IPL earned him a well-deserved comeback into the national side and he has impressed in his role as a finisher so far.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer's career has been a roller-coaster of ups and downs, both in his personal and sporting life. Having made his debut in 2004, he lost his place due to inconsistent form and the emergence of the iconic M.S Dhoni. However, he continued to play different roles – as a Test opener, middle-order limited-overs batsman, reserve wicket-keeper and IPL captain and ensured he was never completely off the radar.

His match-winning innings in the Nidahas Trophy final in 2018, where India needed 34 off the final two overs, helped him reclaim his spot in the lower middle order. However, he once again lost his place, mostly due to inconsistency post the 2019 ODI World Cup.

One thing that has been consistent is his amazing fitness levels for more than 18 years. The fact that players like Murali Karthik, Ajit Agarkar and Graeme Smith, whom he used to play, are now in the commentary box, while he continues to play at the highest level, speaks volumes of his fitness and longevity.

Dinesh Karthik has also worked on his batting game, which is evident in the way he has picked up slower balls off pacers and swept them over square leg for sixes in the death overs in the past few months. His ability to execute unorthodox shots like reverse-sweep and flat-batted swats over cover fielders along with orthodox shots with equal ease has made it difficult for the opposition to set fields for him.

Will Dinesh Karthik be on the plane to Australia?

Unquestionably, Dinesh Karthik has been in the form of his life over the past few months. T20 cricket is a game of form and we can only hope that he continues his dream run over the next couple of months and earns a deserved recall to the final squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

His experience and ability to play pace will be an asset on the fast and bouncy pitches Down Under. In a crunch World Cup game, if India need 35 off three overs, you know that the game has not been lost as long as a certain man is around.

Hopefully we get to hear the crowd chanting 'DK, DK' and Dinesh Karthik helping India cross the line. Karthik’s comeback story definitely deserves a fairy-tale World Cup finish.