Dreams do come true if you are willing to believe: The incredible resurrection of Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik, a man who was down and out, a man who was written off as a full-time commentator and a part-time cricketer, a man who stumbled a lot more than his fellow country mates, a man who was taken in by the lanky arms of hell, churned inside out and spewed out in a pulp, and after all of it, when he was asked again, did he still believe, the answer was yes.

The last time RCB’s Finisher Supreme was a part of a World Cup squad, India lifted that trophy and it was back in 2007. Even though his contributions were minimal, it is hard to forget that miraculous stunner that Karthik managed to pull off to remove the South African skipper Graeme Smith.

Fast forward the clock by 15 years and out of the two players that are still a part of this prized World Cup squad, one of them is none other than the captain Rohit Sharma while the second one is obviously our Finisher Supreme.

Dreams do come true ?

— DK (@DineshKarthik) September 12, 2022

Two not-so-impressive IPL seasons that saw Karthik producing averages of 14.08 and 22.3 in 2020 and 2021 had all the signs penned on the wall of the upcoming rock bottom while people were least interested to even talk about the decadence of India’s first winner of the Player of the match award in the shortest format of the game.

Well with numbers like those, the first and foremost thing that does come to your mind is how far is a franchise going to walk to even rope you in the next auction? The answers were limited. However, there was one who was willing to walk down the long road and take the leap of faith. In the latest edition of the IPL mega-auction, Dinesh Karthik went to the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Despite all the talks in the wind, when the season started, we saw a different incarnation of a player who had been at the receiving end of some excruciating fate for almost a decade and a half and he was making all the right noises.

From anchoring an innings to finishing it with a grand flourish, this man was eyeing a grander scheme of affairs. After IPL came to a close, Team India was to take on a traveling South Africa and the Finisher Supreme flexed his muscles, not once but twice, showcasing his finishing flair in the grandest of apparitions.

That was the start of something magnificent in the Indian jersey. From the lost glory that the world stayed witness to in the Nidahas Trophy final against Bangladesh to being announced for the T20 World Cup squad in 2022, it was cricketing lore being penned in the plummiest of inks.

South Africa, Ireland, England, West Indies, and then the Asia Cup, was a majestic flight for an individual who was willing to do everything for that hallowed spot in the T20 World Cup Squad. 

RCB’s fielding coach, Malolan Rangarajan talked about this magical journey of DK, highlighting the words that he first said when he arrived at RCB. Malolan said, “12 months back you said to me 'I want to make a comeback for the T20 World Cup', I had to be the supportive friend but honestly thought you’d lost your marbles. Guess what? Ideas that seem crazy to others are the ones that go on to be inspiring stories. Go one further & win it now.”

Dreams do come true. Well, they do if you are willing to believe in yourself and put in those insane hard yards that would disrupt your sleep, take away your comfort, and most importantly will put you through the blazes and if you are still willing to walk that thorny, patchy, dank and dark path, maybe at the end of it all, maybe at the end of it all lies a sunrise so beautiful that you can only cherish in life once.