Dinesh Karthik has been the cynosure lately not because of the heroics on the cricket field but in the commentary box. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has been entertaining fans with his hilarious and entrancing on-air remarks ever since making his commentary debut in the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand in July earlier this year.
While the audience has been loving the commentator, the 36-year-old still has some plans as a player. Dinesh Karthik, on many occasions, has said that he is determined to make a comeback in the national team for the T20 World Cup. However, the dashing batter has a different perspective for the longest format of the game. In a recent interaction with Aakash Chopra, he revealed why he hasn’t been playing First-Class cricket lately.
Dinesh Karthik Reveals Reason for Not Playing First Cass Cricket For Tamil Nadu As He Doesn’t Have Future In Red Ball Cricket
Notably, Dinesh Karthik hasn’t played a red-ball game for Tamil Nadu since February 2020. Speaking of the same, the veteran asserted that had he continued playing First-Class cricket for the state team, young wicket-keeper N Jagadeesan’s place would have been blocked. He also accepted that his days as a Test cricket are over.
“The reason I don’t play red-ball cricket for Tamil Nadu is that it will block the chances of Jagadeesan and also I don’t have a future in red-ball cricket as well,” said Karthik while speaking on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel.
For the unversed, Dinesh Karthik made his Test debut way back in November 2004. He couldn’t do much in his initial days and MS Dhoni’s arrival made his job even more difficult. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer did play some matches as a pure batsman but couldn’t cement his place in the team.
N Jagadeshan, the wicket-keeper batsman made his debut in the Tamil Nadu squad in 2016 against Madhya Pradesh. N Jagadeesan has been among runs for his state-side and was picked to play for the CSK franchise in IPL which is led by MS Dhoni. He scored 33 runs in 5 games in IPL 2020.
Dinesh Karthik Failed Terribly After Being Picked In India’s Test Squad For 2018 England Tour
After MS Dhoni’s retirement from the format, Dinesh Karthik got a chance to stamp his authority as he was picked in India’s Test squad for the 2018 tour of England. He failed terribly in the first two games and got dropped subsequently. That proved to be his last assignment in Test cricket.
Dinesh Karthik is still determined to play white-ball cricket in India. This year’s T20 World Cup is just a couple of months away. Hence, if Dinesh Karthik put up a phenomenal show in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 he may forge a comeback in the national team.
Dinesh Karthik averages a below-par 25 in 26 Tests after debuting way back in November 2004 against Australia. He has scored only 1 ton and 4 fifties in the longest format. He scored only 4 runs against Afghanistan and only 21 runs in 2 Tests against England after being recalled in 2018.
Current India international and Tamil Nadu captain Dinesh Karthik’s longevity came to the fore again as he led Tamil Nadu to their second Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament title on Sunday, fourteen years after he led them to the inaugural title in 2006-07.
Dinesh Karthik was appointed captain of the KKR team prior to Eoin Morgan’s captaincy. However, midway through the 2020 season, the KKR management decided to switch roles by handing Eoin Morgan the leadership and making Dinesh Karthik his deputy. Dinesh Karthik had a poor IPL 2020 managing only 169 runs in 14 games averaging 14.08 while amassing 123 runs in 7 games in IPL 2021 averaging 30.75.