Dinesh Karthik throws his hat in the ring for T20 World Cup

He went back to RCB in 2022 and had a season to remember, striking at 183.33, but more crucially, hitting 22 sixes alongside 27 boundaries. Throughout this time, Karthik batted at no particular position for a long time, the refrain being that he is most productive at tight ends of the innings, meaning he never really got to face more than 10-12 balls per innings.

That has changed this season (he averages more than 17 balls faced per innings) primarily because of RCB’s occasional batting implosions; and he has cashed in on the longer stints. The number of sixes he has hit — already 18 compared to 16 boundaries — has led to a career-high strike rate of 205.45.

Karthik, 38, attributes it to having more clarity about his batting than ever. “These days as a player, you need to understand your strengths. I'm not a Russell or a Pollard who can just mishit a ball and get a six for it, rather," said Karthik ahead of RCB’s match against KKR here on Sunday. “So, I need to understand how I can beat gaps, what sort of balls I can hit for boundaries. And I realised there was a certain pattern in which bowlers were bowling to me, so I needed to try and work out a solution for that.