BENGALURU: If
Dinesh Karthik has a cricketing fault, it is, perhaps, in his stars. They haven’t shone very kindly on him. He was last part of the Indian Test team way back in 2010 and now returns for the one-off Test against Afghanistan. His game has had little to do with the fact that he was left out in the cold or that he is back now.
In the 87 Tests India has played in the interim between Karthik's last game and Thursday's match,
Mahendra Singh Dhoni handled the big gloves. Then, when Dhoni retired,
Wriddhiman Saha stepped in to fill his predecessor's shoes and Karthik was left to bide his time.
Saha is now out due to injury and Karthik finds himself — quite fortuitously — in white flannels. He intends to make the most of it. In the past eight years he hadn't given up on his Test ambitions. Instead, in over a hundred first-class matches, he worked and fine-tuned every conceivable aspect of his game. He plans to make it count.
The wicketkeeper-batsman from Tamil Nadu, reflecting on the hiatus from the longer format of the game, said, "I did not perform well enough and wasn't consistent enough. There was a highly competitive environment. MS Dhoni was breathing down my neck and who was causing a lot of stir in world cricket at that point of time. He has gone on to become probably one of the greatest Test cricket captains India has ever produced. So, it's not that I lost out my place to some normal cricketer. He has been a special cricketer over a period and I respect him for that."
Critically evaluating himself, Karthik chipped in. "I couldn't produce enough performances at that stage to hold on to my place. I need to be honest with myself. I have another opportunity now and I guess I will try to do my best."
Although Karthik has seen the highs and lows in terms of form, he stressed that he has never been short of motivation. "I've always enjoyed playing the sport, so motivation has never been a problem. I've enjoyed playing the
Ranji Trophy. It's a different challenge. There are not many out there who come and watch you play; you play because you enjoy the sport, which I've always done subconsciously. I've enjoyed being part of Team Tamil Nadu. Credit to them as well for having put up with me through the tough years, with my batting, with my keeping and as a player."
Karthik was a last-minute replacement for Saha but he insisted, there was no insecurity or plan to keep Saha out in future. "That (of trying to keep Saha out) puts a little bit of extra pressure me. What I'm looking to do is be the best cricketer, not only on the field but also off it. I'm trying to be consistent, where even if I don't get the opportunity or don't end up playing at the highest level, I want to be content with the fact that I've given it everything. I want to make the best of the opportunities I get."
'Afghan team's journey beautiful'"It's been beautiful, isn't it? It is one of the highlights for the ICC as well, to have a Test nation like Afghanistan. Their journey has been an inspiration for international cricket. Not many knew they play, but for them to come in through the qualifiers and secure a World Cup berth, do so well and compete with the other teams, I give them a lot of credit. Everyone knows it's a tough place and the turmoil that they are going through, but in spite of that they are able to inspire people with their performances. They're able to even produce big players even in a tournament like the IPL. I hope they have the opportunity to play a lot of Test cricket. As they've improved in T20s, today they can not only challenge but have the ability to win a tournament which is great. Got to credit them, how with the infrastructure they have, they're trying to beat all odds and do well in international cricket. I'm happy for them, it's going to be an honour to play against them."
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