The 36-year-old Dinesh Karthik recently returned to the Indian T20I team after playing international cricket for the last time in 2019.
Dinesh Karthik. Credits: PTI
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- Karthik recently made a comeback in India’s T20I squad
- Karthik is currently playing for RCB in IPL 2022
- Karthik has scored 324 runs in the current IPL
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has lauded Dinesh Karthik for staying strong despite the turmoil in his personal life and making an incredible comeback in his career. The 36-year-old recently returned to the Indian team for the T20I series against South Africa after performing exceptionally well for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022.
Karthik has strengthened RCB’s batting by playing some match-winning innings. In 15 matches, the veteran has scored 324 runs at an average of 64.80 and a strike rate of 187.28 with a top score of 66 not out against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Akhtar, popularly known as Rawalpindi Express, praised Tamil Nadu-born Karthik for being mentally strong.
Karthik is mentally strong
“I usually avoid talking about people’s personal lives. What I want to say here is that he had some setbacks in his personal life, but after that he made a really good comeback. Have followed his personal life and read a lot about it. And I really like how he’s back. I would say well done to him. That’s the attitude,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
“Big deal. Dinesh Karthik is a player of my era. He is really fit and mentally strong. Good things happen to good people. It’s nice to see the way he has made a comeback in the Indian team. My Best wishes are with him.”
Karthik is now set to play for RCB in Qualifier 2 of the 2022 IPL against Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. Karthik is also making a comeback for Team India after playing for the last time in the 2019 World Cup semi-final three years ago.