Dinesh Karthik has had a stunning turnaround in fortunes in the year 2022, as he went from commentating on Team India's matches against England, to registering a sensational return to the national team. Buoyed by his epic performances as a finisher for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022, DK thrust himself back into contention for the T20 World Cup 2022.
Such have been the level of his performances that he has managed to oust Rishabh Pant from the team, and is most likely to start for Team India when they take on Pakistan in Melbourne on Sunday.
Karthik was thus hailed for his comeback of epic proportions by former Australian legend Ricky Ponting who felt that the veteran gloveman's career was over, once he started commentating.
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Speaking to ICC ahead of the India-Pakistan clash, Ponting said 'it's not that easy' to do what DK had achieved.
"It looked like his Indian career was over, probably in all three formats. He was not a retained player for KKR in IPL. He today is one of the best finishers in the T20 game which he probably never really thought to be. I thought his playing days were over and he was transferring himself to the commentary box. But he was transforming the other way. I am pleased and quite surprised the way he had turned his career in the last couple of months," said the former Australian skipper.
"It is not an easy thing to do at that age. To get better is not easy. The one thing that I know about Indian players is that they never give up. The way Dinesh has played, he has made it impossible for team to not pick him," added Ponting further.
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Karthik meanwhile has thanked the Australian legend for his kind words, and called Ponting his 'favourite cricketer'.
Taking to Twitter, the 37-year-old cherished his time spent with Ricky Ponting during IPL stint together at Mumbai Indians.
"RICKY PONTING, Easily one of my favvv cricketer growing up and I loved every minute I spent with him during my time with MI. A champion leader and an astute reader of the game. Thanks Ricky for these beautiful words, means a hell of a lot to me #DreamsDoComeTrue," replied Karthik.
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DK and Team India begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakitan at the MCG on October 23.
