New Delhi: Veteran wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik is set to make his comeback to the Indian cricket team after three years in the five-match T20I series between India and South Africa. Dinesh Karthik was in superb batting form in Indian {Premier League (IPL) 2022. The Royal Challengers Bangalore star batter's ability to hit quick runs in end overs helped him secure a spot in the 18-man Indian squad for South Africa series.
Speaking at the traditional press conference ahead of Ind vs SA 1st T20I, head coach Rahul Dravid said the team management picked Dinesh Karthik in the squad because they expect him to replicate his IPL form in this series.
For RCB, Karthik scored 330 runs in 16 matches at an average of 55 and a strike rate of 183.00 in IPL 2022. Karthik's exploits were not ignored by the selectors, and keeping in mind the 2022 T20 World Cup, the senior batter has been included in Indian squad as a finisher.
"With Dinesh (Karthik), it's very obvious and very clear. He has made a comeback on the basis of the skills that he has shown in a particular phase of the game. At the back end, he has really been able to be a point of difference in whichever teams he has played.
"That's why he has been picked, he has been picked to bat in that kind of position and see if he can replicate those kind of performances for India as well," he said.
The last time Karthik played for team India was in the 2019 World Cup, where India lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals. Karthik was also a member of the MS Dhoni-led Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup.