The fine wine named Dinesh Karthik gets finer

It is an underrated skill to shut white noise out of your system. It is a skill that very few have mastered but one man certainly seems to have aced it.

Over the years, Dinesh Karthik has had to stay on the sidelines despite his skills and the runs to his name. Yet, time and again, the wicketkeeper-batter has found new wings in his role as a finisher.

A clear-cut message on his role was relayed out to Dinesh Karthik by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for IPL 2022 and the man acknowledged it himself ahead of his side's clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR). When asked if he had been assigned a finisher's role, he replied:

"At this point of time yes, it looks like that for sure. That's what they've told me - the message is very clear."

If anything, his role hit a new crescendo on Tuesday night at the Wankhede Stadium.

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Dinesh Karthik is at ease as a finisher

When one thinks of Dinesh Karthik as a finisher, nothing could possibly top the blitz against Bangladesh in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy final. If anything, that was the innings where the man carved out his legacy and will forever be known after his playing days are done.

But following his match-winning 23-ball 44* knock against RR, one thing he said stood out:

"...I'm not done yet...'

Oh, hang on! Sorry about that 'DK', we won't get to your post-playing days just yet. You clearly aren't done yet alright!

But coming back to the current tournament and the latest innings he pulled out - it was nothing short of a masterclass alright. Taking on one of his good friends and one of the sharpest cricketing brains in Ravichandran Ashwin, Karthik put the Rajasthan Royals attack to the sword.

But it was not a typical case of the slam-bang frenzy archetypal of the T20 format, it was far from it. It was effortless, nonchalant and unassuming, much like the man himself.

Dinesh Karthik walked in when the scoreboard read 87/5, an asking rate of 11.07 per over and the pressure of vaulting RCB from the abyss. Pressure, you say? Not for this man - he probably never attended school the day that word was taught!

He soaked it all in and without wasting a moment, tore into the Royals bowlers. Of course, he was helped with favorable matchups with Sanju Samson for some reason, holding back his most lethal weapon and Karthik's potential Kryptonite. Yet, those who bore witness to the sheer mastery thereafter might have been left wondering if even Yuzvendra Chahal could have done much.

Mind you, it's not a case of hindsight here or a scenario at a crossroads with what could have been. One ear to Dinesh Karthik's words post the game is all you need to know about the meticulous manner in which he dissects a chase.

Karthik said after bagging the Player of the Match award:

"When I went in we needed 12 runs an over almost - you have to figure out what to do. That's the thing I keep practicing - to try and make sure that when I go in, I stay calm, know my game and know who to take on."

Clearly, he knew Ashwin had to be taken on. He knew Navdeep Saini and Prasidh Krishna had to be put away as well, and with a fine ally in Shahbaz Ahmed for company, Karthik ensured RCB racked up 50 runs in a span of just three overs. By the time Chahal was re-introduced, it was a lost cause that the Royals were left battling.

What stands out for a player with Dinesh Karthik's experience is the manner in which he gets the job done. Of course, due credit must go to the RCB think tank, who have got it absolutely spot on with his entry points across all three games they've played thus far this season. But to show the steely nerves that the man continues to, testify about his treatment of pressure and white noise the way they ought to be.

He takes to the art of finishing, by no means an easy one, like a duck to water, doesn't he?

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Dinesh Karthik - RCB's MVP at IPL 2022

This is debatable for a number of reasons - most of all, the fact that RCB are barely three games into their IPL 2022 campaign. Yet, it is hard to look past Dinesh Karthik as the IPL team's most valuable player thus far, given the situations he has found himself in.

After all, this is an RCB side who have had to do without Glenn Maxwell's presence so far. This is an RCB side who have entered the post-AB de Villiers era. And with their two other seasoned pros, Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli not there to do their bidding, the Royal Challengers needed a hero to step up on Tuesday night. In Dinesh Karthik, they saw one!

Batting under clutch situations isn't unfamiliar by any means for the Tamil Nadu veteran. Yet, you can't always just walk into the cauldron and stave off the heat, can you? Even for a player as wise and experienced as Karthik, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

He said after the win over RR:

"I've made a conscious effort to play a lot of white ball cricket, I don't play four-day cricket anymore so the quantity of matches have reduced. I have to play that many more matches as practice matches, scenarios...so I have to do a lot of that. A lot of people have been with me in this journey. Those are the hours you put in when nobody's seeing and those are the most important hours. When it comes off here it's great. The setup is beautiful, they're helping me a lot but the real work is done in the leadup to the tournament which is what I will give a lot of credit to."

T20 as a format asks for a lot of thought to go into it, given how fine the margins are. It is this clarity of thought that puts Dinesh Karthik in an echelon on par with a number of his contemporaries, if not above them.

Need we say again as to who has been RCB's most valuable player this season?

He's now gone 209 games on the trot in the IPL, having missed just one that dates back to the inaugural edition in 2008. Fitness hasn't been an issue with Karthik, nor has his form. If anything, he's getting better with every passing game he plays.

And of course, this has brought conjecture into asking the inevitable question in a T20 World Cup year - will we see him wearing Team India's colors one more time?

This is what Dinesh Karthik had to say while talking about his preparations for thet tournament:

"I was making a conscious effort to tell myself that I'm not done yet, I have a goal and I want to achieve something and I tried my best. I've done my preparation".

With regards to whether a national recall beckons, that's probably a discussion for another day, but if this campaign is anything to go by, that day won't be far away either.

Dinesh Karthik is very much here. He's not done yet - he's going stronger than ever, this fine wine!