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Dinesh Karthik had a fruitful IPL career as opposed to his international career where he could never cement his place in the Indian team with M S Dhoni being India's first-choice wicket-keeper.
With Karthik in all probability playing his final IPL game, RCB posted a video paying tribute to their finisher. In the video, Karthik's better half, squash star Dipika Pallikal reflected on his topsy-turvy career and said if she were in his shoes, she would have given up a long time ago.
While Dipika, who tied the knot with DK in 2015, enjoyed a strong run, Karthik had an on and off career. After making his debut in 2004, Karthik eventually fell out of favour with Dhoni in the line-up.
His strong run in the IPL saw him secure a place in India's T20 World Cup squad in 2022, but Karthik failed to impress, falling out of the team once again. For RCB this season, Karthik has been the finisher, with quick fire knocks, ending his journey on a cracking note.
Turning the clock back and shedding light on their early days, Pallikal, in the tribute video posted by RCB, said, 'I think when things are meant to be, they happen. When we met in 2013, it was very fast we knew that we wanted to spend our lives with each other and I am guessing everything clicked.
'One of the things I have really learned from him is that if he doesn't do well, he is dropped from the team, it's just two or three days when he is in a lull, and then he is back on his feet, thinking about what to do next,' Dipika said.
'I feel that if anyone else was in that position, a lot of people would have given up long back. Even me, I am an athlete, seeing him in different positions in his career, if I was him, I would have definitely given up.
'But I think the do-or-die or never-give-up attitude has always been there,' Dipika said.
In the IPL, Karthik has played for Delhi, Punjab, Mumbai, Gujarat, KKR before playing for RCB.
'There's been different DKs. I feel over the last 10 years that we've been together. I think every two years, he tries to re-invent himself. And I feel like, as a wife also, I see that difference in him.
'Over the last four to five years, he has really enjoyed the sport, the time when he met Abhishek Nayar,' said the squash star.
'The first year with RCB opened up a lot of doors for him, the role he had got. This is his happy place. He has got all the right people around him.'
'At the stage where DK is now, he is very content with what he has done, what he has achieved. That's the most important thing about any athlete. It's not going to be easy moving away from the game because this is all he has done all his life.'