IPL 2022: Want to be the person helping India win multi-nation tournaments, Dinesh Karthik tells Virat Kohli – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Dinesh Karthik has set the IPL on fire with his brilliant batting. And Saturday night was no different as he played a crucial role in helping Royal Challengers Bangalore win against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium.

Walking in at a tricky situation at 92/5, Karthik started off slowly but then picked up the pace and went berserk to score 66 off 34 balls to propel RCB to 189/5. RCB bowlers managed to restrict DC to 173 and win the match by 16 runs.

Karthik has been batting sumptuously and playing 360 degree shots and has so far had scores of 32*(14), 14*(7), 44*(23), 7*(2), 34(14), 66*(34).

So what has been the driving force? What’s he doing different this time around?

There are two goals that Karthik has chalked out. A small term goal and a long term. The small term goal is to do well for RCB while the longer vision is to get back to the Indian team.

“There is a small term goal and there is a bigger vision as well,” Karthik told Virat Kohli in an interview after the match.

“The small term goal is obviously to do very well for RCB. What would that mean… Credit to the RCB backroom staff, the day I got picked, Sanjay bhai [Sanjay Bangar] called me and told me, ‘DK you’ll be playing the finisher’s role’. We have lost out on AB [AB de Villiers], we can’t replace him with anybody half as good. So we are going to have 2-3 players to do that role’. He is that good. Then I took it upon myself to figure out that ‘okay, this is what I want to do,’ I’ve been practicing a lot. So that was the small term goal.”

Karthik said his long term goal is to get back to the Indian team and it has been driving him to do well and prepare differently. Karthik last played for India three years ago, against England, in the 2019 Lord’s Test.

Since then, he’s gone out of favour. He wants to come back and be the man helping India win a multi-nation trophy which hasn’t arrived in India’s trophy cabined for a while now.

“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. It’s been a long time since India won a multi-nation tournament. I want to be that person who is helping India do that. For that, you need to prepare differently, you need to be aware of so many things and try and be that player where people stand up and notice you and say, ‘hey this guy is doing something special and I wanted to be that guy.'”

“Every day I practice with that intent in mind. Credit to my coach who has put me through so various drills in trying to figure out what’s the best that I can get out of myself every day that I go to practice in terms of fitness because as you grow old, it’s very very important you stay fit, are running those twos, making sure you turn fast, basic things. I must give a lot of credit to you (to Kohli), you’ve been an inspiration to a lot of youngsters in terms of fitness but as you grow older, it’s important to stay fit. I have tried my best to do that and I am happy things are paying off.”

As India cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy tweeted the other day, these might be the “best 5 crores RCB has ever spent”.

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