Dinesh Karthik reveals how VVS Laxman's words of wisdom impacted him

Dinesh Karthik at the Wankhede on Saturday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Dinesh Karthik's career received a huge fillip when he hit that last ball six during his sensational 8-ball 29 in the final against Bangladesh to clinch the Nidahas T20 tri-series trophy in Colombo last Sunday. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman credited batting icon VVS Laxman and his mentor Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar for his change in mindset. "I would constantly think about the future. But in the last couple of years, I have stopped thinking about it. My mindset has changed. One of the conversations with VVS after the last IPL opened me up as a cricketer.

"He said at this stage of my career the most important thing is not those good looking 30s, 40s or a brilliant hundred. What is important is to be able to win matches. That kind of stuck with me. I tried to follow it and those are valuable words said to me. "I am indebted to him for bringing those valuable words to my mind," Karthik said ahead of a T20 exhibition match to create awareness about no honking and road safety, at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Karthik, 32, explained how Nayar made the difference in his approach. "I had a lot of doubts as to whether I would play for the country again.

"He showed me the light at the end of the tunnel. It is just the start of good things. "It is hard to produce last-ball sixes, but definitely, I want to keep producing match-winning innings when the situation demands."

Also read - IPL 2018: Vinay Kumar backs Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper Dinesh Karthik

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates