'The hard work continues,' DK tweets after getting selected for SA T20Is

Hard work is the key to success! This proverb perfectly defines the cricket career of Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik. After unexpectedly getting dropped from the team following India's loss in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, the veteran is set to make his comeback.

After being out of international action for over three years, the batter is all set to don the blue jersey in India's upcoming series against South Africa.

On Sunday (May 22), the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced an 18-member squad led by KL Rahul for the five-match T20I series against South Africa.

Apart from Rishabh Pant, Karthik has been selected as the other wicketkeeper for the tour kickstart in Delhi on June 09. The Indian team call-up left the 36-year-old overwhelmed, and he posted a heartfelt note on his official Twitter handle. 

"If you believe yourself, everything will fall into place! Thank you for all the support and belief...the hard work continues," the tweet by Dinesh Karthik read. 

Dinesh Karthik's cricket journey has been nothing less than a roller-coaster ride. The batter made headlines by leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the playoffs in IPL 2018. 

However, the keeper wasn't amongst runs in the following three seasons and was even axed as the KKR captain during IPL 2020.

Karthik's fortunes finally changed for good when Royal Challengers Bangalore picked him up during the IPL 2022 mega-auction. 

The Chennai-born is enjoying a dream ride this IPL season. The batter has put in a lot of hard work, and his efforts finally paid off as he emerged as one of the best finishers during the league round. 

In 14 IPL 2022 games so far, Karthik has scored 287 runs at an average of 57.40 and strike rate of 191.33. He also smacked 22 boundaries and 21 sixes to become the third-highest run-getter for the Bangalore franchise this season. 

Undoubtedly, the wicketkeeper's terrific form is one of the significant reasons behind RCB's qualification.

The South Africa series is of utmost importance for Dinesh Karthik as it can reward him with a place in India's T20 World Cup 2022 squad. Apart from Karthik, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are the other players rewarded for their excellent performance in IPL 2022.