Dinesh Karthik

Profile

MS Dhoni’s gain, it can be debated, was Dinesh Karthik’s loss. As a wicket-keeper batsman looking to be India’s reply to Gilchrist, Karthik had all the ingredients to be a reliable hand in both departments. With the willow, his technical nuance was evident.

Proof of his underlined batting prowess is found in the fact that, even after Dhoni cementing his place as skipper-keeper, Karthik has been recalled as a specialist batsman alone. His batting ability stood the test of challenging pitches in England in 2007 where, as an opener, he recorded fifties in each of the three Tests to aid India in a historic series victory.

Beyond 2007, Dhoni’s rapid success soon sidelined Karthik.But for his lapse in concentration, the Madras-born keeper would have made greater waves. As time progressed, selectors looked to hone Karthik’s batting abilities alone and fit him in the interim as a specialist batsman, aside from being Dhoni’s stand-in behind the sticks. Still, his role was limited to playing second fiddle and continuous stop-starts stunted his progress on a personal front, while, along with Parthiv Patel, he became proof of India’s embarrassment of riches in talent behind the stumps. He was picked up by Mumbai for the 5th edition of the IPL as a specialist wicket-keeper.

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Career

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