New Delhi: Fifteen years after making his international debut and being in and out of the Indian team, Dinesh Karthik remains a topic of discussion and therefore, ‘relevant’, in his own words.
After the World Cup squad was announced April 15, the 33-year-old was the subject of an intense debate with many even questioning his selection over the highly-talented Rishabh Pant.
Chief selector MSK Prasad tried to settle the debate by saying that Karthik was picked for his better skills behind the stumps but even that did not cut with Pant’s supporters which included the likes of Ricky Ponting.
“I would not still be playing if it was not for the blessings of my friends and family. Good or bad, if people still talk about you it means that you have managed to stay relevant. It is extremely satisfying that I have managed to stay relevant all these years and still trying hard to be part of the team,” Karthik told this agency before leaving for England.
Karthik made his debut even before Dhoni who burst on to the scene in December 2004 and the rest, as they say, is history. Karthik since then has played 26 Tests and 91 ODIs, but has no regrets that he could have played much more had it not been for Dhoni.
He worked hard on his batting and since the Champions Trophy in 2017 he has played on a number of occasions as a specialist batsman. He emerged as the finisher the management was looking for, with his most memorable knock coming in the Nidahas Trophy final last year when he won India the trophy with a six off the last ball.
However, there were doubts over his World Cup spot as he was dropped from the ODI series against Australia, India’s last before the World Cup.
“I was a bit shocked (after not being picked for Australia series) but I had faith that you know if it is meant to be it is meant to be. In the end, I was picked for my performances over the last two years,” Karthik said.
“I have batted in various positions (over the last 24 months) and I have had decent success in those positions. But the key is not for me to look back at the last two years, the greatest tournament is going to happen and I now have the opportunity to play there. It doesn’t matter what the word is going around. What is important to me is that I have got an opportunity and there are people who believe in me and have faith in me, I need to go out there and stand up for my country,” added the glovesman.
In 2019, Karthik is one of the oldest members in the squad and someone who loves spending time with the youngsters, especially KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya.
“Those two names matter a lot to me. I am very close to them in this Indian team. If either of them was not there in the team I would have been very sad. At the end of the day, you do make close friends as you go along in the journey,” Karthik pointed out.
For his current run in the Indian team, Karthik is quick to give all the credit to friend and mentor, Abhishek Nayar. “He is the single biggest factor in me being part of this World Cup team,” Karthik stated.
PTI