Dinesh Karthik on a mission

It’s hard to keep count of the number of comebacks Dinesh Karthik has made to the Indian team during his 13-year span as an international cricketer. Caught in the vortex of a stop-start career, it can get dispiriting after a point at the perpetual failure to nail down a permanent spot. 

However, that is anything but the case with ‘DK’ as he is fondly called, and he isn’t the one to let it affect his morale. Although 32, the youthful exuberance has still not deserted Karthik and the latest call-up to the Indian team for the New Zealand ODI series beginning on October 22, has him in a buoyant mood. 

“I look forward to the opportunity. I will give my best and the atmosphere in the dressing room looks good with lot of positive vibes,” said Karthik, who was a part of the T20 squad for the just concluded Australia series. The crucial number four position in the ODIs has become a vexatious issue for Team India with there being many contenders for that role but so far no one has made a lasting impression. Never the one to shy away from embracing challenges, Karthik said he could be the long-term option if given a chance. 

“I like batting at number four as I have had the experience of batting in that slot for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare trophy and I did well. The standard in international cricket is a few notches up and it’s important to perform in whatever chances I get. It’s up to me to deliver this time, and I’m confident that I will do well” added the wicket-keeper batsman. 

In Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India has two ace fast bowlers who have mastered the art of bowling at the ‘death’ and that was something that was not lost on the visiting Australian captain Steve Smith who waxed eloquent about the duo. Karthik, too, didn’t deviate from that path of showering them with approbation. 

“Both Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar have been bowling fantastically well for some time now. It’s indeed an honour for me to be a part of this team that will probably leave a legacy in a few years as one of the greatest teams to have represented India. The great thing about this team is that even the bowlers can bat capably and that has lent depth,” analysed Karthik. 

Karthik said he had an elaborate conversation with coach Ravi Shastri about his role. “I was happy to have had that chat with Ravi. He told me what I should be working on. In Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar, we have a formidable support staff and it’s an exciting time to be a part of this team,” remarked Karthik. 

The eternal optimist in Karthik would hope that this will be the last of his comebacks and that he would make the problematic number four slot his own. By the end of the New Zealand series, we will have conclusively found an answer to this riddle.

Bad light and persistent drizzle meant only seven overs of play was possible on the third day of the Group C Ranji Trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Tripura at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Monday.

Tamil Nadu extended its lead to 99 and has six wickets in hand with one full day’s play remaining. The host was on 357 for four when umpires called off the play at 3.45 pm. Resuming from its overnight score of 332 for two, MS Washington Sundar managed to add only three runs before being caught at second slip by Yashpal Singh off Ajay Sarkar for 159. 

The next batsman Dinesh Karthik was out soon after attempting to up the ante but his miscued shot off Sarkar failed to clear the fine leg boundary. Tripura took the second new ball after 81.4 overs. B Indrajith and R Ashwin were the two batsmen at the crease when the players left the field. Looks like TN’s hopes of an outright win have gone up in smoke.

Tripura (1st innings) 258; Tamil Nadu (1st innings) MS Washington Sundar c Y Singh b Sarkar 159, A Mukund c G Singh b Bhattacharjee 76, K Gandhi lbw b G Singh 9, B Indrajith not out 89, D Karthik c Dey b Sarkar 5, R Ashwin not out 1, Extras 18. Total (for 4 wickets in 88 overs) 357 FoW: 1-162, 2-180, 3-341, 4-356 Bowling: M Murasingh 17-8-68-0, R Dutta 10-0-50-0, J Bhattacharjee 21-0-86-1, A Sarkar 10-0-43-2, A Dey 10-2-36-0, G Singh 17-1-61-1, Y Singh 3-1-7-0