Dinesh Karthik who has been an excellent player in domestic cricket was finally included in the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy after a long time. It is true that he had not got many chances to prove himself on the international platform. However, recently the 32-year-old took the opportunity and played well in the series against West Indies and showed that it was not a mistake to include him in the team.
When asked, Karthik said that for now, his goal was to make it to the 2019 World Cup and to play for the team in all the three formats. He said, “I’m giving it my best shot. Also, I want to play all three formats as an exclusive batsman. I’m looking for another opportunity in Tests, either as a batsman or a wicketkeeper-batsman. I’m working hard to achieve these objectives. Coming back to the Test team, wearing whites and playing under Kohli is a dream for me. With the kind of shots I have in the middle-order I think I can make an impact. More importantly, I have to make use of the opportunity given to me in the limited-overs format.”
He also said that he has to give up his wicket-keeping job whenever Dhoni is around but he really enjoys fielding. When asked about his fitness, Dinesh Karthik said that he wants to be the fittest in the team. “When it comes to fitness, the one thing I have realised is I don’t want any youngster to tell that I am fitter than Dinesh. I always want to be the fittest player in the team. When I can do stuff that everyone does, age doesn’t matter. Age becomes a factor only when you become a liability on the field. VVS once said when you reach a certain stage ‘it’s not about how many runs you score, it’s about what you have done to win the match’. So, it’s not about what I can do individually, it’s about what I am giving the team for a bigger cause. I have started looking at that way, it’s helping me as a batsman,” he said.
Also, Karthik said about Kohli that he does not hide any secret formula for his batting and is really open about it and is very open to sharing his experience.