Dinesh Karthik: I am trying everything to be part of the Indian team

Dinesh Karthik during his 66 not out v DC on Saturday. Pic/BCCI; IPL

In the form of his life, seasoned wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik on Saturday said that he has been "trying everything" to stage a comeback into the Indian team. Karthik, 36, who began his journey in international cricket way back in 2004, has not put a foot wrong in the ongoing IPL-15, playing some of the finest knocks for his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, who spent Rs 5.5 crore on him in the auction.

He stretched his excellent run of form with a blistering 34-ball 66, paving the way for RCB's 16-run win over Delhi Capitals. "I must admit that I have a bigger goal. I have been working really hard. My aim is to do something special for the country. This is part of my journey. I have been trying everything to be a part of the Indian team," Player of the Match Karthik said at the presentation ceremony.

With his exceptional batting, Karthik has filled the void created by the departure of the great AB de Villiers in the RCB set up. "Feels good to know that people associate calmness with me. Positions and calmness comes from preparation. Shahbaz [with whom he has added 74 runs] is a special player, he will do special things as a player. He is up for a challenge. He can hit the ball a long way," Karthik said.

RCB skipper Faf du Plessis was full of praise for Karthik. "To get 190 you needed a special innings, and credit goes to the two boys Shahbaz and DK. We felt like we haven't been as good as we would've liked at death bowling, so today we had a special plan."

197
No. of runs scored by Dinesh Karthik in IPL-15

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