Veteran Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik made a comeback to the Indian squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against the South African cricket team. Many fans thought that Karthik’s career might be over after he was dropped from the team after the 2019 ICC World Cup. But Indian head coach Rahul Dravid explained why Karthik is back.
Karthik was not in the best form during IPL 2020 and 2021. He even started working as a commentator for Sky Sports. As a result, there was a question mark over his international career. Also, young wicket-keepers like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan were doing well, with KL Rahul also present as a wicket-keeping option.
However, the way Karthik performed for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022, the selectors had no other option but to give him one more chance to prove himself.
Karthik himself made it clear that his goal is to play in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 and win it for India. At a press conference ahead of India’s T20I series against South Africa, Rahul Dravid talked about Dinesh’s comeback and said:
“Dinesh Karthik has a clear role, to finish the games in the backend for the team as he did in IPL – that is why he has been picked in the side.”
Rahul Dravid said "Dinesh Karthik has a clear role, to finish the games in the backend for the team as he did in IPL – that is why he has been picked in the side".
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Rahul Dravid addressed the Indian team being on the cusp of creating a world record
No team in cricket history has ever won 13 consecutive T20I matches. The Indian cricket team is currently on a 12-match winning streak, and they could set a world record if they win the first T20I against the South African cricket team on Thursday.
When asked about that world record, Dravid replied:
“I don’t think much about the records – if we play well, we will win, if we don’t play well, we will learn.”
Rahul Dravid said "I don't think much about the records – if we play well, we will win, if we don't play well, we will learn". (About 13 consecutive wins)
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