He has already booked his place in T20 WC 2022 squad: Ashish Nehra makes bold claim about Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik has made a sensational comeback to the Indian cricket team after a brilliant campaign for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the recently-concluded IPL 2022. He emerged as one of the best finishers in the tournament and produced some memorable knocks for RCB batting in the lower-middle order to earn a recall in the Indian team after a gap of three years.

Karthik had last played for India during the 2019 ODI World Cup and had failed to make his comeback to the team across any format. He even enjoyed a commentary stint during India's tour of England last year with many writing him off. However, the veteran wicket-keeper batter has had an incredible redemption this year.

He has continued his finishing heroics for the Indian team in their ongoing T20I series against South Africa at home after an exceptional IPL campaign. Karthik played a brilliant knock of 56 runs off just 27 balls in the 4th T20I against South Africa on Friday to help India win the game by 82 runs and reaffirm his credentials as one of the best finishers in the Indian team at present.

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Lauding him after his terrific knock against the Proteas in the 4th T20I in Rajkot, former India pacer Ashish Nehra said India needs experienced players like Karthik in the lower middle-order for the T20 World Cup in Australia this year. Nehra said players like Karthik can help India chase down targets of 200 in Australia.

"Today he batted at No.6, which I liked, and that fact that he scored a half-century...his innings was longer and he got to bat earlier in the game...so these are the expectation you have from your most experienced player whom you have recalled to the team," Nehra said on Cricbuzz.

"Yes he does score runs in the last 3-4 overs but experience means that he knows a lot many other things as well. Selectors, team management should all be happy. The knock surely will give him confidence as well and going forward, in this entire talk about impact at that batting position...you have Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and then the experience of Karthik. He is the kind of player who can help you chase down even targets of 200 in Australia,” he added.

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Karthik has so far scored 84 runs in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa striking at an impressive 158.6 out of which 84 runs have come in the slog overs at a strike rate of over 186. He has truly been in the form of his life and Nehra believes the veteran keeper batter has already sealed his spot in India's T20 World Cup 2022 squad.

“He has already booked his place in the T20 World Cup squad. He scored 55 at a strike rate of 200," said the former India pacer following Karthik's 56-run knock against the Proteas on Friday.