From hitting the winning runs on the last ball off Soumya Sarkar in the Nidahas Trophy final against Bangladesh back in 2018 to smashing a stunning 83 off 35 balls for RCB while chasing a mammoth target of 288 runs against SRH in the IPL 2024, Dinesh Karthik has been true to his designated role of finisher till he officially hanged his boot on his 39th birthday on 1 June 2024. (More Cricket News)
Popularly known as 'DK', Karthik is one of the best findings of Indian cricket. He made his debut for India 20 years ago in 2004. Test debut came against Australia in Mumbai and ODI debut came against England at Lord's.
In his 20-year-long international career, DK kept going in and out of the team. He represented India in 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 60 T20Is. He managed to make just 3,463 runs in international cricket.
DK has always been the second-choice wicket-keeper in the Indian side due to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's regular presence until he retired. A true professional, DK never blamed anyone for not being able to make his place in the team.
The Chennai-born cricketer played his cricket with confidence, zeal and enthusiasm throughout his career. His routine before facing every ball will be missed as the veteran retired from all forms of cricket with a social media post on Saturday.
Whenever he gets free time, DK would be doing commentary for TV broadcasters or playing domestic cricket. His intensity at the crease and playfulness outside the ground helped him in making a unique character.
Karthik was part of the Indian team which won the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 in South Africa and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in England. It however makes a strange reading that despite making hundreds in both warm-up matches, DK was benched in most of the matches during that particular Champions Trophy campaign. DK was also part of the team which ended as runners-up at the Champions Trophy 2017 when India lost to Pakistan in the final.
DK last played for India in the T20 World Cup 2022, in the match against Bangladesh at Adelaide Oval on Nov 02. And he was only getting better with age.
In his last IPL season, DK made 326 runs in 15 matches at an average of 36.22. He got those runs at a strike rate of 187.36. Now, he has retired from cricket with grace and no drama. That tilted helmet of DK will be missed, the legend will be missed.
