The tributes keep pouring in for the veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik who might have just played his last game in the Indian Premier League following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s defeat to Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. In a video uploaded by RCB’s official handle on X, the iconic Virat Kohli recalled how DK helped him during his tough 2022 season in the IPL.
The year 2022 was not one of the best by Kohli’s high standards. The RCB legend only managed to rack up 341 runs in that year’s tournament and he revealed that he was struggling with his bat and confidence but Dinesh Karthik had sat him down and the two had an honest chat about where things were going wrong for the legendary Indian batter.
Kohli revealed,” I’ve had some really nice and interesting conversations with him and he’s a very wise man and has great knowledge about a lot of things, not just cricket. And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with him. Even in the phase in 2022 when I didn’t have a great IPL season, I was really struggling for confidence. He sat me down a couple of times and, you know, just gave me a very honest explanation of how he is seeing things and maybe I’m not able to see them myself”.
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“So I just like his honesty, his courage to go and speak to anyone about things that he really dearly feels about. And that I think is the most special thing for me when it comes to Dinesh. And that’s something that I’ve always cherished about him. And that’s why we get along really, really well,” he added.
First Impressions of DK
Looking back at his early days in his international career, Kohli shared what his first impressions where of Dinesh Karthik at the time. He noticed that he had a very jittery personality and was always excited and moving about. Nowadays, Kohli sees the maturity in the veteran keeper-batter and believes that he might have mellowed down a little compared to the earlier years.
“The first time I met DK, I remember we were playing in South Africa, if I’m not wrong, Champions Trophy 2009. It was the first time I shared the changing room with Dinesh and I found him to be very amusing, very, I would say, hyperactive, confused person. Most of the time he was just moving all over the place, never stopping. That was my first impression of Dinesh. Outstanding talent, a brilliant batsman to watch. And my first impression and the present-day impression are not far apart, just that he’s become wiser and he’s calmed down a lot”.
DK’s Technical Ability
Speaking more from a cricketing standpoint, Kohli highlighted DK’s technicality with the bat and his ability to adapt to the various roles given to him across the years. He specifically referred to DK’s best season with the bat in 2013 where he was part of Mumbai Indians’ title-winning team under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. He managed to score 510 runs then which allowed MI to win their inaugural title.
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He commented, “I always looked at Dinesh and I felt like he was such a correct player technically, that he could adapt to any kind of role that’s been given to him. And I remember watching him in the 2013 season where he got some 600 runs or something, or something like that. And he batted brilliantly at three. And I saw him play shots which were like, wow. Yeah. I think he’s done brilliantly to switch and become a renowned finisher”.
Love From RCB
Kohli reckons that DK’s time with the franchise is one that the RCB fans will cherish and he hopes he will be involved with the side in some respect as he believes the vast amounts of experience he has would be priceless.
“He’s been connected to the team now for a long period of time and has really thoroughly enjoyed himself here. He’s been dearly accepted by the fans and he’s a great cricketing brain. So I wish him all the very best for all his future endeavours moving forward. And also, hopefully, he will remain connected to RCB in one way or the other in the future because his expertise when it comes to cricket is priceless. I think he’s of great value to this franchise,” he concluded.
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