Now a cricket pundit, former India wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik recently opened up on how he tried to don different roles to fit into the national team after MS Dhoni entered the set-up. Karthik said he became a bit like a chameleon while pushing his case for the national team.
Karthik made his Test debut in October 2004 against Australia in Mumbai. He also went on to make his One-Day debut that same year before being replaced by Dhoni in the limited-overs side. It wasn’t until 2006 that Karthik found a place back in the Indian team. He explained how he used to bat in different positions for his home state Tamil Nadu to compete not only with Dhoni, who was his direct competition for the wicket-keeper role, but with others as well.
“When someone like that comes along, you need to look inward and ask yourself: What can I do to bring out the best version of myself? So I became a bit like a chameleon. If there was an opening slot available, I’d go back to Tamil Nadu and ask, ‘Sir, can I open?’ I’d score runs as an opener just to find a place in the team,” Karthik was quoted as saying by India Today.
“Similarly, if there was a vacancy in the middle order for India, I’d request to bat there — always looking for ways to break into the side. But my real challenge was holding on to that spot. I put so much pressure on myself that, at times, I didn’t do justice to what was really needed,” he added.
Dhoni-Gary Sobers comparison
Karthik remembered the buzz Dhoni generated ahead of his international debut, where people were talking about his power and many were comparing him to Gary Sobers.
“I hadn’t seen him play much. But during that A series in Kenya, everyone was talking about one player because he brought something new,” said Karthik.
“The power with which he hit the ball was something people said they hadn’t seen before. Some were even comparing him to Gary Sobers, known for those massive sixes. MS Dhoni had a very different technique, but he was hitting the ball as hard as anyone people had ever witnessed. That was the buzz at the time,” he added.
