In less than a month-and-a-half since his comeback to the Indian team, Dinesh Karthik has twice been adjudged the Man of the Match. His 27-ball 55 versus South Africa in Rajkot back on June 17 helped India restore parity in the T20I series. While on Friday, his unbeaten 41 off 19 balls eventually made a big difference in India’s comprehensive 68-run win over the West Indies in the opening T20I at Tarouba in Trinidad.

It reflects the significance Karthik carries in the finisher’s role, with his exploits in this year’s IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore catching the attention of the Indian team management. Karthik acknowledged the support he is getting from the current Team India set-up. “This is a very different team and I’m enjoying this set-up,” the 37-year-old told teammate Ravichandran Ashwin on bcci.tv. “There’s a sort of calmness that’s around the captain (Rohit Sharma) and the coach (Rahul Dravid). A lot of credit must go to them.” Karthik, the finisher, does keep certain elements in mind as he goes out to bat in the slog overs. “You need to be aware of a lot of things, such as the shape of the ball, its softness and the pitch. These come with a little bit of practice,” Karthik said.

But when Karthik practises, it’s not really “a little bit”, but quite detailed. “DK practises for a good three-four hours or so,” Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who has also been Karthik’s personal trainer, told The Telegraph.

Those innovative shots, too, are a part of his training programme. “He practises playing those shots (scoops, reverse scoops and ramps) on a regular basis. He also focuses on what his approach should be based on the match situation. “That did help him in the Rajkot game when he got those runs in a difficult phase (with India wobbling at 81 for 4 in the 13th over),” Nayar stressed. According to a source close to Karthik, “while training under Apurva Desai (now a faculty at the NCA), on nine out of 10 occasions he used to bat on centre wickets and practise as if it were the last few overs of a game.”