End of Road For Dinesh Karthik In ODIs, Feels Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has given a damning verdict on Dinesh Karthik’s ODI career after he was dropped from the upcoming series against Australia.

The selectors sprung a huge surprise by dropping Dinesh Karthik for the upcoming five-match series against Australia. It was a decision that has taken quite a few by surprise and the reasons are quite obvious. With MS Dhoni not being at his old best and no other reliable finisher, the team pinned its hopes on Karthik. And the right-handed batsman also did reasonably well in the last one year or so.

Since the 2017 Champions Trophy, Karthik has scored 425 runs in 20 matches at an average of over 47. 22.  He also impressed with his finishing abilities during the tour of Australia and New Zealand. He played a key role in two wins by scoring two unbeaten innings of 25 and 38 in Australia and New Zealand respectively. He had also scored an impressive unbeaten 33 in the last T20I against New Zealand but India lost the game.

And with the selectors dropping him from the team just a couple of months before the World Cup, Sanjay Manjrekar feels it is the end of road for Karthik in ODIs.

“His fans will feel sorry because with the opportunity he has got, he has done as well as he could but I feel with this selection or non-selection of Karthik, India have told everyone that we look at Karthik as a T20 batsman and his 50-over future is over as far as we are concerned,” said Manjrekar in conversation with ESPNCricinfo.

Manjrekar also said that not playing a big knock like Ambati Rayudu’s 90-run knock against New Zealand cost Karthik dear.

“He has done well in the opportunities he has got, but he has been around for a long time and the selectors are thinking just like me – World Cup, big stage, big match, 50-overs cricket, Dinesh Karthik. Ambati Rayudu by playing that innings in New Zealand when he put India on the track of recovery and got the team to get a big score. Dinesh Karthik hasn’t played that kind of an innings. He has mostly played the role of a finisher. So this is where the numbers are disregarded by the selectors, the captain, the management and they are thinking temperamentally so far what we have seen of Karthik, is he someone who will excite us a 50-overs cricket at World Cup and they have said no and I don’t grudge them for that,” Manjrekar explained.

The series against Australia will start on March 2. Before that the two teams will lock horns in a two-match T20I series.