It could well be the last of his innumerable comebacks but Dinesh Karthik is not losing sleep over it as he intends to build on the recent gains in international cricket by following the timely advice of India coach Ravi Shastri.
With young wicketkeeper-batsmen like Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant waiting in the wings and veteran Parthiv Patel still knocking on the selectors' door, Karthik knows he has to keep performing.
On current form, he could be the stable number four batsman India is looking for in ODIs.
"May be it is (the last of comebacks) but I have not looked at it that way," Karthik said when asked about his latest comeback.
"If you start thinking on those lines (future in the team), you put extra pressure on yourself. I am satisfied with the way I batted in ODI series against New Zealand and would aim to do the same whenever I get the next opportunity."
He doesn't know what lies ahead but remains focused on improving his game with key inputs from coach Shastri as well as veteran Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar.
"In terms of feelers (for the future) from the team management, nothing has been communicated. But regarding my batting, I did have a long chat with Ravi bhai (Shastri).
"He was happy with my batting against New Zealand but he said there are still areas where I can improve upon, especially maintaining the tempo of the innings since he feels I have all the shots. I agree with him and that is what I would look to do."
As far his close association with Nayar is concerned, not much has been in public domain but he has been working with Karthik for a while now.
"I would not be where I am without Abhishek Nayar. Working with him is an ongoing process. We discuss a lot about the game, mostly on the phone since we are both busy playing.
"For example, before the New Zealand series he advised me to show intent from ball one, be very aggressive," he said.
Karthik is someone who has played against multiple captains including Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni and now Virat Kohli.
Talking about Kohli, the Chennai-based cricketer said that the results of the fitness culture the Indian captain has cultivated are for all to see and even on the that aspect, he leads from the front. "With a leader like Virat, who has absolutely got it spot one in terms of fitness, he has built his lifestyle around it. The team members are learning a lot from that and they can see the exceptional performances he has been able to give in the last 5-6 years. It has trickled down to
the players."