Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has been one of the most-talked about sporting personalities over the past couple of months. His resurgence as a cricketer is truly an inspirational story.

After having a forgettable stint in IPL 2021 season for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the 37-year-old batter managed to become one of the best performers in the 2022 season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Karthik amassed 330 runs in 16 matches with a staggering strike rate of 183.33 and redefined the role of a finisher. Based on his jaw-dropping performance in the recently concluded IPL, he earned a callback to the national team for the five-match T20I series against South Africa.

After Karthik's match-winning knock against the Proteas in the 4th T20I that helped India cruise to a fighting total, and eventually helped them emerge victorious in the must-win game, RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar revealed the reason behind his resurgence.

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Bangar praised Karthik for never losing his desire to excel, revealing that he played local matches to hone his skills.

Talking to Star Sports, Bangar said, “He has the hunger. When he wasn't playing in the IPL, he played a lot in domestic T20 cricket. When even those matches were over, he went to Madurai and many other places to play local cricket. He wanted to practice in open wickets, as much as he could. And he is now reaping the rewards of his hard work. He has set a standard by showing such grit, determination, and brilliance to make a return to the Indian team.”

When Karthik stepped onto the turf in the 4th game of the series, the Indian batting line-up was trembling at 81-4. Coming to the rescue of his team, Karthik smashed a blistering knock of 55(27), scoring his first half-century in the shortest format of the game.

(Star Sports inputs)