After suffering setbacks in personal life, Dinesh Karthik has come back well: Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan legend, Shoaib Akhtar heaped praises on Dinesh Karthik for making a fantastic comeback in Indian colours for the upcoming T20Is. His stellar performance in this year’s IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has earned him a place in the Indian squad for the home series against South Africa, starting from June 9. Karthik is coming back to the national setup after three years as he played his last game in the 2019 World Cup semi-final.

Despite batting down the order, the wicketkeeper-batter has managed to score 324 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 187.28 and an average of 64.8. Karthik’s outstanding form has been instrumental in RCB’s journey as they are now set to play Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on May 27. Even in the Eliminator, he smashed a quickfire unbeaten 37 runs from 23 balls against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

I like how Dinesh Karthik has come back: Shoaib Akhtar

Pakistani legend, Shoaib Akhtar lauded DK’s performance so far in the tournament and praised him for being mentally strong. Talking to Sportskeeda, he said: “I usually avoid speaking about people’s personal lives. What I want to say here is that he had suffered some setbacks in his personal life, but he came back really well after that. I have followed his personal life and read quite a bit about it. And I really like how he has come back. I would say well done to him. This is what attitude is all about.”    

He also sent best wishes to him for his impressive comeback to the squad. Akhtar added: “It’s a big thing. Dinesh Karthik is a player from my era. He’s really fit and mentally strong. Good things happen to good people. Great to see the way he has made a comeback to the Indian team. My best wishes are with him.”

Dinesh Karthik will now be looking to help RCB in the upcoming Qualifier 2 as a win there will guide them to the final against Gujarat Titans to be played on May 29 in Ahmedabad.