New Delhi: When former Indian skipper MS Dhoni burst at the International level and grabbed his opportunities with both hands in all three formats of the game, he made it difficult for other wicket-keepers like Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel to break into the squad. However, Dhoni is always known to guide the other players on the right track.
As Dinesh Karthik had a solid technique as a batsman, Dhoni motivated him to open the innings. Subsequently, Karthik who plays for Tamil Nadu, scored a truckload of runs in the domestic circuit to make a case for himself. Furthermore, former Indian captain Rahul Dravid also told Karthik to play as an opener.
Meanwhile, India last won a Test series in England back in 2007 and Karthik had played an instrumental role in that series win of 1-0. Karthik scored 263 runs during the Test series and was India’s highest run-getter against England. Karthik averaged 43.83 in six innings with three fifties.
“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,” Karthik said on Aakash Chopra’s Youtube Channel.
However, Karthik couldn’t continue the same form as scored 1025 runs in 26 Test matches at a meagre average of 25. Karthik is currently doing commentary in England vs India five-match Test series and he would aim to break into the team’s T20 squad for the World Cup.