MS Dhoni Took The Country By Storm; I Knew That Door Was Closed For Me - Dinesh Karthik
Published - 09 Aug 2021, 04:14 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:51 AM
Senior India cricketer Dinesh Karthik talked about his career coinciding with that of former captain MS Dhoni and the latter then going on to play a major part in Indian cricket while his appearances for the national side became sporadic.
Though Dinesh Karthik made his debut in both Tests and ODIs before Dhoni, he couldn’t cement his place. And when once the Ranchi-born showcased his abilities – in a hundred against Pakistan in his 5th ODI – the Tamil Nadu cricketer realized that the wicketkeeper’s position in the eleven has slipped from his hands.
He lauded MS Dhoni as a “once-in-a-generation” player who led India to three ICC titles and entertained fans with his gamesmanship.
“When Dhoni came in, he took the complete country by storm and I knew that door was closed. Keeper-batsman is always a decade-long job. Syed Kirmani was there, then Kiran More. Dhoni was a once-in-a-generation kind of a cricketer,” Dinesh Karthik said on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel.
Dinesh Karthik did make progress after that. While Dhoni acquired the wicketkeeper and captain’s position, Dinesh Karthik forced his way into the side as a batsman. However, he couldn’t get a consistent run only until in the lead of the 2019 World Cup.
The semi-final against New Zealand currently remains his last appearance from India, and surprisingly he was dropped from the T20I side as well despite being one of the best finishers in the country.
MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid gave me a lot of confidence: Dinesh Karthik
The 36-year-old revealed that it was Dhoni himself and the then captain Rahul Dravid, who made him feel confident about playing solely as a batsman; in fact, in the opening position.
He was then asked to open on the 2007 tour of England. It was a challenging task due to the conditions and a strong English bowling attack. However, Karthik valiantly batted at the top and helped India win the series by scoring 263 runs at 43.83 to end up as India’s highest run-getter in the series.
“I never brood over things. My nature has always been – what is next? That has always been my constant question to myself. At that point, it was to become a batter. There was a spot in the middle-order and then as an opener. One thing that people, including Dhoni, would say – ‘you’re so talented as a batsman, you can open.’“
“So that gave me a lot of confidence and then Rahul Dravid also said you have the skills to be a pure batter. So I went to domestic cricket, scored lots of runs, then got an opportunity as an opener and did well,” the KKR cricktere added.
