May 24 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Eliminator clash vs Rajasthan Royals was probably the last time Dinesh Karthik took to the field as a cricketer. Since their IPL 2024 exit, RCB have been posting tribute videos to the wicketkeeper-batter, who is already 38-years-old. Despite the news, many fans and experts still feel that Karthik could have continued for a few more seasons, due to his excellent fitness.
In a tribute video posted by RCB on YouTube, Karthik received heartwarming statements from members of the RCB camp and also from his wife. In one such statement, Virat Kohli lauded the veteran’s maturity and also made a striking revelation.
“Off the field, I have had some really nice and interesting conversations with him and he is a very wise man. He has great knowledge about a lot of things, not just cricket. I have thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with him. Even in the phase in 2022 when I didn’t have a great IPL season and I was really struggling for confidence. He sat me down a couple of times and just gave me a very honest explanation of how he is seeing things and maybe I’m not being able to see them myself,” Kohli revealed.
“So I just like his honesty, his courage to go and speak to anyone about things that he really dearly feels about. That I think is the most special thing for me, when it comes to Dinesh and that’s something that I’ve always cherished about him. That’s why we get along really really well,” the former RCB captain further added.
Karthik was key for RCB in IPL 2024, and played a pivotal role in their sensational comeback to qualify for the playoffs. But in the Eliminator, they ran out of steam and fell to RR. In 13 innings, Karthik registered 326 runs at a strike rate of 187.35, packed with two fifties.
In 257 IPL matches, Karthik has registered 4842 runs, at a strike rate of 135.36. He has a high score of 97*, and has bagged 22 fifties. With the mega auction next year, RCB will be looking to fill in the void left by Karthik. It is still not known if they will be retaining wicketkeeper-batter Anuj Rawat. Even if they retain him, they will still need to get an experienced finisher.
