“I’m not done yet”: Dinesh Karthik opens up on his retirement after match-winning knock vs RCB in IPL 2022

Dinesh Karthik opens up on his retirement after finishing yet another close game with success during RR vs RCB IPL 2022 match.

During the 13th match of the ongoing 15th season of the Indian Premier League at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium,  Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 4 wickets, to hand the latter their first loss in the ongoing season.

Despite a sedate start by RCB skipper Faf du Plessis (29 off 20) and Anuj Rawat (26 off 25) on their course towards the target of 170, where they posted 48/0 after the end of the Powerplay, they were on no time reduced to 62/4 in 9 Overs.

But, the match took a drastic turn after RCB’s wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik’s arrival at the crease post Sherfane Rutherford’s wicket during the 12th Over.

With 82 runs required off the last 42 deliveries, Karthik smoked Ravichandran Ashwin (4-0-39-0) for 21 runs in the 13th Over to bring the much-needed life into the run-chase.

There was no stopping the 36-year-old from there on, as he stitched together a 67-run partnership off mere 33 deliveries alongside Shahbaz Ahmed (45 off 26) for the 6th wicket, to smash an unbeaten 44 (23) to see his side home with 5 deliveries to spare.

Dinesh Karthik opens up on his retirement

After being adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-winning knock, Karthik exclaimed that while he had trained differently for the ongoing season, he has also made a conscious effort to tell himself that he is far away from his retirement, and that he could have performed better in the past few years.

“I made a conscious effort to do justice to myself. Felt I could have done better in the last few years. The way I’ve trained has been different. I was telling myself I’m not done yet. I have a goal and I want to achieve something,” remarked Karthik after receiving the award.

Having scored a 14-ball 32 during RCB’s first match of the season in a losing cause, the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper then sealed the chase against KKR with a 7-ball 14, and then finally playing the role of a finisher successfully yet again today.

Karthik last played in Indian colours during the 2019 ICC World Cup, and had in the beginning of this year made his intentions very clear to continue with his efforts towards making it again to the Indian T20 side as a finisher.

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