T20 World Cup 2022: The Dinesh Karthik story, a stunning comeback at 37 in Dhoni's earlier role as the finisher

Dinesh Karthik (Photo: Twitter)

Dinesh Karthik, now 37, arrived before Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2004 and then played under his captaincy in a stop-start career before gaining a second life after the superstar's retirement in 2020. The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter made several comebacks in different roles — opener, middle-order batter, and finisher — over the years to retain the India jersey.

The T20 World Cup journey stopped after 2010. There was a bit of a gap in his career due to personal issues for some years. He turned it around in the one-dayers from the Champions Trophy in 2013 but never got a call for T20Is until 2017.

India will meet Pakistan in Melbourne in their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday. And Karthik, a likely starter for the marquee clash at the iconic MCG, will make a comeback in the event after 12 years.

Karthik could not cut it through in the initial stage of his career, as Dhoni, who possessed similar skill sets, found a winning template. Strangely, the Chennai boy never played for his home franchise in the Indian Premier League, where Dhoni became a demigod. At present, it is ironic that Karthik is the finisher in the Indian team, a tag once owned by the two-time World Cup-winning captain.

The dramatic turnaround in 2018

The Nidahas Trophy 2018 and Kolkata Knight Riders captaincy around the same time turned the tide in Karthik's career. He guided India to victory in the final against Bangladesh by hitting a six off the last ball of the innings. He carried the form into the IPL and ended with 498 runs.

He credits former India cricketer Abhishek Nayar for coaching him to greater heights.

Suddenly, Karthik found himself back in the loop, but purely as a batter, as Dhoni had not retired from white-ball cricket. In early 2019, Dhoni and Karthik finished an ODI in Adelaide by stitching an unbeaten 57-run partnership off 34 balls.

Karthik was on the plane to the ODI World Cup, too. But there was scrutiny after the semi-final loss to New Zealand in Manchester. He could manage only six runs off 25 balls.

On the back of a brilliant IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Karthik returned to the Indian T20I side in June 2022 and appeared in 24 games. It indicates he has the support of the team management and is one of the trump cards for the T20 World Cup.

Karthik scored 330 runs in IPL 2022 at an average of 55. He remained unbeaten on more than five occasions as he finished games smoothly.

Top-notch work ethics, 360-degree shots

Karthik started as an old-school batter with a beautiful cover drive, great control when playing on the rise and somebody who could sweep neatly. He evolved with time and turned himself into a 360-degree player to maintain parity with the younger generation. He can scoop, use the crease to play a ramp shot and even go for a switch hit if required.

India and Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar feels his work ethic and eagerness to improve took him to the World Cup. "He has been working hard in all aspects of the game. His work ethic makes him special. Even in the recent IPL, he was one of the best. It is good to see him back in the Indian World Cup squad and doing well," Shankar told Moneycontrol.com.

Shankar has played with Karthik in domestic cricket, followed by a few games in international cricket, too. "There are lots of on-field special memories with him, but the best thing is to see him trying to get better with every game. As they say, age is just a number. You can play at the highest level if you keep working hard. And not just play first-class cricket but play for your country, and for that, you need to be on top of your game," added Shankar, who was part of the India ODI World Cup squad with Karthik in 2019.

Fearless enjoyment, and a 'nice guy'

Karthik understands he has nothing to lose. He could take a break after the IPL for a commentary stint and wear a Versace shirt on English grounds to analyse a post-match session in a Test match.

Karthik had packed suitcases filled with fashionable clothes and shades for his commentary role during the India-England series in 2021. Former England captain-turned broadcaster Michael Atherton called him “The Giorgio Armani of broadcasting”.

The Giorgio Armani of broadcasting! ️

We are going to miss you, @DineshKarthik

Style icon @athersmike with the analysis! #ENGvIND

Watch https://t.co/N5yEvBmzDs
Live blog https://t.co/2LY8DKcNvX pic.twitter.com/qSprUcveGG

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 27, 2021

He is one of the few cricketers who returned to international cricket after a brief spell of commentary.

In several interviews, Karthik accepted he had temper issues in the past, but many feel, he has been the quintessential nice guy in the cricketing circles. Cricket expert Joy Bhattacharjya says, Dhoni knew Karthik was his primary opposition, but, perhaps, the latter did not think like that. "I don't mean this in a bad way for Dhoni, but DK is too nice a guy. He would play his best game and let everything else do the rest. DK scored 500-odd runs for Mumbai Indians in their first IPL title in 2013. It is not that he has not scored runs.

"DK is a serious cricketer, but he will never cut people ruthlessly down to get there. Everybody doesn't need to be a (American basketball player) Kobe Bryant," added Bhattacharjya, who co-authored the book Do Different: The Untold Dhoni (2022, Penguin Random House) with Amit Sinha.

Karthik has reached a stage where he is having fun, without having to care about how many more games he will play in the remaining years of his career. And he has found a strong support system in wife Dipika Pallikal, who represents India in squash.

It remains to be seen if DK can turn this T20 World Cup into a memorable one, but the way he kept bouncing back to the Indian team despite the hurdles is a life lesson.