Dinesh Karthik thanked his fans after he was named in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 International (T20I) series against South Africa starting June 9.

“If you believe yourself, everything will fall into place! Thank you for all the support and belief…the hard work continues,” he tweeted, along with a photo of himself in an India jersey. 

The veteran wicketkeeper-batter last played for India in 2019. He gave stellar performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ongoing season, scoring 287 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 191.

Earlier in the IPL season, Dinesh Karthik said his ultimate goal was to play for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup that will be held in October-November in Australia.

During a conversation with former RCB skipper Virat Kohli, Dinesh said that he was given the role of a finisher from day one. 

“I think there is a small term goal and a bigger vision as well. The small term goal is obviously to do very well for RCB, credit to the RCB backroom staff. The day I got picked up for RCB, Sanjay Bangar Bhai called me and told me DK you would be playing the finisher role. We have lost out on AB so we cannot replace him with anybody who is half as good as him. So, we are going to have 2-3 guys who can do that role because he is that good. So, then I took it on myself that okay this is what I need to do,” Karthik told Kohli. 

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He added that succeeding with RCB is a short term goal and that he wants to be a part of the Indian squad going to the World Cup. 

“The big vision is to play for the country. I know there is a World Cup around the corner, and I want to be part of that World Cup desperately and I want to help India cross the line. It has been a long time since India won a multi-nation tournament and I want to be that person who helps India do that. For that you need to do things differently, you need to be aware of so many things and try and be that player who people notice and say hey he is doing something special. Every day, I practice with that intent in my mind. As you grow old, you need to be very fit,” he added.