Baba Indrajith praises Dinesh Karthik for his 'passion and the drive'

Dinesh Karthik has had a rollercoaster career for India. From being part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning side to guiding India to the Nidahas Trophy win in 2018, Karthik has made multiple comebacks to the national side between these two events.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 displayed the wicketkeeper's batting proficiency to the tee, earning him a place in the Indian T20 setup again. Baba Indrajith, who is one of the mainstays of Tamil Nadu batting, has praised his teammate for his ability to not give up and continue playing cricket with the same passion day in and out.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Indrajith said, "His story has been amazing because, to be very honest, if I was in his position or his age, I don't think I would have had his motivation. He has made too many comebacks."

"To make so many comebacks you need to have the passion and the drive. It's not just that he went into the season thinking, Let's see what happens. It's not like that. He's planned it… He's been on the circuit for a very long time. His work ethic, his passion for the game, and his drive are something else."

Karthik's run with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022 was phenomenal, where he exhibited his skills as a finisher. 

The 37-year-old scored 330 runs in 16 games with a strike rate of over 180, which helped him book a spot in India's upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa starting June 9.

Indrajith played his first IPL this year with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise, where he featured in just three games, scoring 21 runs.

The 27-year-old from Chennai opened up about his time in the IPL, saying, "It was a great experience because to be picked in the auction for KKR, it's a big franchise, and I [was] waiting to be picked in the IPL for a very long time, I've worked hard to get there." 

"I've been on the domestic circuit for close to nine to 10 years, so I specifically worked in the last year or two to get into the IPL and worked on my white-ball game." 

Indrajith made his First-Class debut for Tamil Nadu in 2013 against Saurashtra, where Karthik scored 133 runs from 192 balls.