"I'm making a conscious effort to tell myself that I'm not done yet" - Dinesh Karthik after match-winning innings vs RR
Dinesh Karthik has been on a roll for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He has batted thrice in the tournament so far, scoring 90 off 44 balls and has remained unbeaten on all three occasions. In his last two innings, Dinesh Karthik's blazing strokeplay powered Bangalore franchise to victories.
Dinesh Karthik- India's first ever Player of the Match in T20Is in 2006 - is still going strong and steers his team in a run-chase in 2022. Congratulations @RCBTweets
Throwing light on what has changed since the last IPL, the 35-year-old highlighted that he made a conscious effort to remind himself about his abilities. He also said that he still has plenty to offer.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Karthik stated:
"I made a conscious effort this year to do justice to myself because I felt last year I could have done better. The way I trained was better - hats off to the person I trained with. He put me through some things which was very important for me in life as well."
He added:
"I was making a conscious effort to tell myself that I'm not done yet, I have a goal and I want to achieve something and I tried my best. I've done my preparation."
When Karthik walked in to bat, RCB needed over 10 runs an over. He went after the bowlers right from the start before Shahbaz Ahmed joined in. The duo added a quickfire 67 to set up the victory.
Dinesh Karthik stressed that he has prepared himself for these scenarios. He also thanked his coaches for putting in the hard yards behind the scenes. Karthik continued:
"When I went in, we needed 12 rpo and had to keep going. I train for these situations. To stay calm and know whom you can take down. I've tried to play as much white-ball cricket as possible, and prepare as many scenarios as possible. A lot of people have spent time with me on this journey leading up to the tournament and it's the work that goes unnoticed mostly."
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer now has the second-best strike rate in the tournament among batters who have played three innings. Bhanuka Rajapaksa tops the chart with a strike rate of 230.56 while Karthik is second, scoring at a rate of 204.55.
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"In T20 cricket, you need to premeditate" - Dinesh Karthik
Well played @DineshKarthik #RRvRCB #IPL2022
The commentator DK can walk the talk 😉 Well played @DineshKarthik #RRvRCB #IPL2022 https://t.co/s4Nq0IH2UV
Karthik, who has 32 T20Is and 94 ODIs under his belt, unleashed some unconventional shots during the match-winning knock.
He admitted that it is important for a batter to premeditate in the shortest format of the game. Karthik concluded:
"T20 cricket by itself...you need to premeditate. But if it's not there where you want to hit it, you need to have the ability to change the shot. That's the key."
In RCB's future games, Dinesh Karthik will look to extend his dream run with the bat as they look to win their first IPL title and join the list of IPL winners.