A person will be termed crazy if he states that a 38 year old, who is not a permenant member of the team should be selected for the T20 world cup happening in a month. And now, the country sees a billion such crazy people who wish to see 38 year old Dinesh Karthik in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Its quite astonishing to see someone of this age perform so beautifully, that just the fan support might pressurize the board to have him in the squad. And gladly, it is happening with one of the most underrated players of the nation. But the question still looms, on whether Karthik should be included in the WC squad or not?

To answer this, let's analyse his performance over the years. To begin with let's first see the reason why he makes a great contender. His recent performances in the IPL are a testament to his dedication. For a moment, everyone thought in 2020-21 that his career would just be restricted to his commentary, which he excels at. But little did anyone else know that he had different plans in his mind. The 2022 IPL season was the best of all he played till then, and now he is going a step ahead to prove that 2024 could yet again be his season.

His phenomenal display of batting in the most nerve wrenching situations is purely an act of class. He is using all his experience to torment the bowlers of younger generation. He was always a sweet timer of the cricket ball, but the timing at which he is currently doing it for his team is a pure bliss to watch. His ability to shift gears within fraction of a second is truly commendable. And his intent is spot on, even at this age. His sensational knock of 83 runs off 35 balls yesterday was a testament of what mindset he is carrying. When all the hopes were lost, he single handedly brought the Chinnaswamy crowd back to life with his eye pleasing batting.

Apart from these qualities, what's more noteworthy is his insane longevity. He made his debut in 2004, few years before Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made it to international circuit. Karthik was player of the match in the first T20 Indian team played back in 2006. It's been 18 years since he did the same, and he still goes strong. It's staggering to even know that a player who made his debut 2 decades back, is still hitting the headlines, not for his previous records or fanbases, but for his current performances. His longevity is a proof that he is ready to give it all for whichever team he plays.

It also works as an evidence to prove on how beautifully has he adapted to the ever-evolving game. Hardly anyone from his generation of batters plays the game like he does now. Even Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aren't able to play the unorthodox shots frequently. But Dinesh Karthik does it beautifully, in spite being from the generation of cricketers who play textbook cricket. He has beautifully blended his technique with his newly developed 360 degree cricketing shots and it massively helps him and his team to score in the most unfavorable conditions. Therefore one always witnesses scoops, reverse scoops, reverse sweeps, upper cuts and many other newer generation shots from DK's bat.

Looking at all these factors, it is obvious to see fans expecting him to be in the squad. However a section of fans state his performance in 2019 WC and 2022 T20 WC as the reason to not recall him. His innings of 25 ball 6 runs in 2019 WC is criticized by many. And so is his stint at 2022 T20 where he failed to live up to the expectations. But one fails to understand the reason behind it. The 2019 world cup was dominated by Indian top order. And Karthik was playing his only first game directly in the semi-final, where the in-form top order fell like pack of cards. Its impossible for any player to just play in a high pressure knockout like world cup semifinal with opposition bowlers breathing fire due to the overcast conditions and top order succumbed to them.

Obviously, the 2022 T20 world cup was something which he could've done better. But if one looks at his career graph, the person will find that he has learnt from his mistakes and never repeated them again. In early days, his technique was the issue, which he got resolved sooner. By 2015-16 his strike rate was an issue, which he developed quickly and then one saw his heroics of Nidahas Trophy in 2018. Later he lacked the 360 degree shots, which he developed in 2022 IPL. And in 2022 T20 world cup he lacked the right approach, which certainly he has worked a lot on. It is reflecting in the way he bats now for RCB. He kept on improving in every aspect, which is why he peaked late, but beautifully. A result of all this is one currently sees the best version of Karthik at the age of 38.

And therefore, he certainly deserves a place in the 2024 T20 World Cup squad as permenant member and not as a backup player. His hunger to perform better is yielding him and his team RCB the results. And the hunger in his eyes is evident the way he is batting. His habit of rectifying his mistakes will help him better in 2024 world cup, in contrast to the 2022 one. He can use all the experience he has gained on the pitches in West Indies and United States. The fact that Pant is just back from the accident and not playing to his true potential also makes Karthik's case stronger for the ICC tournament which lies just a month ahead.

With all possibilities, Karthik should be in the Indian squad for 2024 T20 World Cup, if India wants to win it. His experience blended with his ongoing purple patch of form makes him the strongest contender out of all the wicket keeper batters in the tournament. And even if someone is chosen over him as a wicket keeper, looking at what Karthik is doing, he must be chosen as a specialist batter. Because if he was not capable, the 38 year old wouldn't have hit long sixes which include the longest six of the tournament going for 108 metres. All these facts stated above give a logical explanation as to why the team needs him. And obviously, apart from the logic, it will be a great moment for someone like him to play, knowing that it could be his last chance for ICC tournaments. It would be great for everyone to witness a member of 2007 T20 World cup winning squad, playing a significant role in 2024 T20 world cup victory. Hoping to see it happen.