Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar admitted that he was a little surprised when Royal Challengers Bangalore picked Dinesh Karthik for INR 5.50 crores in the IPL 2022 mega auction. DK is currently 36 years old but he has proved that age is just a number.
The veteran batter has been at his absolute best for RCB as he has provided the finishing touches in almost all the matches of the season. DK has scored 197 runs in six matches at an average of 197 and a whirlwind strike rate of 209.57.
The experienced batter has worked hard on his batting and he has reaped rewards for the same. In fact, the team’s head coach Sanjay Bangar had informed DK that he will play the finishing role for RCB after picking him in the auction and the right-hander has not disappointed.
Dinesh Karthik scored a match-winning knock of 66 runs off just 34 balls against Delhi Capitals on Saturday as he batted at the top of his game. The player from Tamil Nadu has grown in confidence and he has proved the critics wrong who were underestimating him before the season.
Sanjay Manjrekar said while talking to ESPN Cricinfo, “When RCB picked him at the auction, we were all wondering why. It seemed like he was past his prime and he was out of the Indian team as well. He hadn’t done anything extraordinary for his previous franchise KKR too.”
Manjrekar lauded Dinesh Karthik for his consistency in this season. In fact, there are also discussions that he deserves his place in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup, which will be played in Australia later in the year.
“His role has changed since he joined Bangalore. Now, he has to come in at the death and play cameos that have a huge impact. The shots that he is playing now, he always had those, but we had only seen them in parts. But his consistency this season has been amazing. Now there is talk of his return to the Indian T20 team. This is the beauty of the IPL.”
On the other hand, Manjrekar lauded Mohammed Siraj for his wicket-taking abilities. Siraj has been expensive in the death overs but he had dismissed Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant in the last game.
“Mohammed Siraj might be expensive sometimes, but in the last game, he dismissed Pant and Shaw. He often picks up the big wickets, though his economy may be high at times. He is a game-changer like Umran Malik for SRH.”
RCB will next take on Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday at the Dr. DY Sports Patil Academy, Mumbai.
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