Dinesh Karthik reacts as Paarl Royals teammate Joe Root takes on pushup challenge with Afghanistan bowler during SA20 2025 [Watch]

Dinesh Karthik, who is playing for Paarl Royals in the ongoing 2025 SA20, has lauded his teammate Joe Root for his character off the field. The remarks came as the England batter took a pushup challenge with his teammates Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan). The latter won the challenge but the trio ended up with 20-plus pushups, showcasing their fitness levels.

Sharing a video of the same, the SA20 franchise Paarl Royals wrote on X:

"This team!!"

Karthik quoted the tweet, writing:

"Joe Root, great guy, legend."

Watch the video below:

On the batting front, Joe Root is one of the leading run-getters in SA20. He has amassed 201 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 141.54, including two half-centuries.

With the ball, the off-spinner bagged three wickets including Kane Williamson in his last outing against the Durban Super Giants on Thursday, January 23.

He, however, departed for a duck but Paarl won the game by five wickets to consolidate their top place in the points table. They have five of their first six games. They will next lock horns with the Pretoria Capitals in Paarl on Saturday, January 25.

On the other hand, Karthik has failed to impress in his first six outings for Paarl Royals in SA20.

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Joe Root makes a comeback as England announce squad for 2025 ICC Champions Trophy

Joe Root has made a comeback as England announced their squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The 34-year-old has 6522 runs in 171 ODIs at an average of 47.60, including 16 centuries and 39 fifties. His last ODI outing came against Pakistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup. He scored 276 runs in nine innings, averaging 30.66, comprising three fifties.

Root's comeback came on the back of his excellence with the bat in Tests. The Yorkshire batter has amassed 1,556 runs in 17 Tests, including six centuries and five fifties. He has smashed 19 centuries in Tests since 2021.

The senior batter needs 194 runs to surpass Inzamam-ul-Haq (20,580 runs) and enter the list of top 10 run-scorers in international cricket.