Dinesh Karthik’s IPL career has been somewhat like this: In his first three years with Delhi Daredevils, his batting strike rate never went above 135. It dropped to 128 with Kings XI Punjab in 2011, and after joining Mumbai Indians in 2012, it came down to 111, reportedly on a fee of $2.35 million.

Until 2021, Kartik had only one breakout season to his name, with the Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Lions, and Kolkata Knight Riders, when he scored 498 runs at a strike rate of 147.77 in 2018.

They returned to RCB in 2022 with a memorable season, striking at 183.33. But what’s even more significant is that they hit 27 fours and 22 sixes. Throughout this entire period, Kartik didn’t bat at any particular position for a long time, with the condition that he was the most productive towards the end of the innings, meaning he never faced more than 10-12 balls per innings. This season has seen a change as Kartik has faced an average of more than 17 balls per innings, mainly due to occasional batting collapses by RCB, and he has capitalized on longer stints. With the number of sixes he has hit – now 18 compared to the previous 16 – his career’s highest strike rate has risen to 205.45.

38-year-old Kartik offers much more clarity about his batting than ever before. Ahead of the match against KKR on Sunday, he said, “These days, as a player, you need to understand your strengths.” “I’m not a Russell or a Pollard who can hit the ball wrongly and still manage to hit a six.” “So, I need to understand how I can bridge the gap, how I can hit certain types of balls for boundaries.” “And I realized there was a certain pattern where the bowlers were bowling to me, so I needed to try and figure out a solution for that.”

“So, when I practice, I try and understand, alright, if they’re going to bowl to me in this particular way, how do I set a boundary, imagine an area that would work for me. So, I worked in this manner, and I worked backwards, and it helped me, you know, to actually go back and look at some shots and learn. Going there and expressing yourself has been very good, and as a finisher, it’s entirely enjoyable to do what I’m doing for RCB.”

Kartik said, “Working as a broadcaster has given me valuable perspective. I’ve become more calm. I understand how things work behind the scenes, what it takes to talk about sports, so when I’m playing, I realize that what people say isn’t always personal. I don’t take it personally like I used to, and that has helped to some extent. I view my batting differently now.”

It seems like there’s tough competition for a spot in the T20 World Cup team, especially with players like Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and KL Rahul already performing well as wicketkeeper-batsmen. Kartik is eager to make a strong comeback, having last played for India in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Representing India at this stage of my life would be the greatest experience for me. I am very eager to do so. There is nothing bigger in my life than representing India in this T20 World Cup.

“It seems to me that to decide the best Indian team for the World Cup, there are three very steady, honest individuals – Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and Ajit Agarkar. And I completely stand with them. I respect any decision they make, but I can only say that I am 100% ready and will make every possible effort to soar for the World Cup.”

The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in the West Indies and the United States from 2nd to 29th June. The announcement of the Indian team is expected to be made on April 30th.