'Dinesh Karthik said he wants to play for India in T20 World Cup...': Gavaskar has his say on RCB star's chances

Dinesh Karthik has been in the form of his life, scoring 197 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 209 and winning two Player of the Match awards.

Dinesh Karthik has been in the form of his life, scoring 210 runs in 7 innings at a strike rate of 205.88 and winning two Player of the Match awards. Not many expected the veteran wicketkeeper-batter to produce such stunning knocks after spending the better part of his last summer in England commentating and not being part of any cricket tournaments baring the second leg of IPL 2021. But with his knocks this season, Karthik has made his intention clear to the world. He wants to return to the Indian team and be a part of the 2022 T20 World Cup squad. And former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has reacted to his big intention.

Sunil Gavaskar; Dinesh Karthik

Karthik's six knocks 32, 14, 44, 7, 34 and 66, 13 have come at a strike rate of over 190 and having been unbeaten in six of those innings, he now averages 210 in IPL 2022.

"He said he wants to be a part of the Indian Team for the T20 World Cup. So what I am saying is don't look at his age, just look at what he's producing," Gavaskar told Star Sports.

"He's just changing the complexion of the game with his performance. He's doing it for his team. He's doing the job that you can expect him to do at number 6 or 7 at the (T20) World Cup (in October-November)," Gavaskar added.

The senior India cricketer has featured in 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20Is, and he last played for India in the heartbreaking semifinal loss to New Zealand in the ICC World Cup in 2019.

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"The bigger vision is that I want to play for the country. I know there is a World Cup around the corner. I want to be part of that World Cup desperately and help India cross that line. It's been a long time since India won a multi-nation tournament. I want to be that person who is helping India do that. For that, you need to be aware of so many things, try and be that player who people think 'hey this guy is doing something special," Karthik had told Kohli after RCB's last against against KKR.

"Every day I practice with that intent in my mind. Credit to my coach who has put me through so many drills to make sure I get the best out of myself.

"As you grow older, it's important to stay fit. I have tried my best to do it.

"I am so happy contributing to RCB. This is my 2nd time with RCB and I wanted to do something special. For a start, it feels privileged that you're asking me these questions," Karthik said.