'I came to Indian team, but by then MS Dhoni mania was so big...': Veteran keeper on ex-captain's effect
'I came to Indian team, but MS Dhoni mania...': Veteran-keeper on ex-captain
MS Dhoni remains a big name in world cricket. He had a stellar run in international cricket where he ended with 17,266 runs, 16 tons, 634 catches, 195 stumpings and led India to three major ICC titles. During his playing days, he remained India's most-preferred wicketkeeper-batter across formats.He ruled over international cricket for over a decade which led to the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel and others not getting enough run.
Recently, Karthik opened up on his overall journey and shared how he met Dhoni and eventually got replaced by him across formats.On RCB Podcast, Karthik said, "I made my debut before him. We went together on an India A tour and from there I got picked for the Indian team, he was still there in India A team."
He further opined, "That was the first time I played a four-day match together with him. I did so well that they picked me for the Indian team. From there, they went on another trip, there was an ODI tournament where he just blasted it. People stood up and said there is nobody like him. They said he's a special player. Obviously, I came to the Indian team, but by then the Dhoni mania was so big that you had to pick him. He then replaced me in all formats and he did very well. At the end of the day, it is all about taking opportunities. You got to be ready to take opportunities."
Karthik went on to add that how Dhoni was doing was never a cause of concern for him as he wanted to keep improving. However, Dhoni's stupendous rise and success forced Karthik to be his understudy and he soon became a backup keeper-batter for India across formats.
"I was chasing excellence. I was constantly on the path of becoming the best cricketer in the world. Dhoni was there, he wasn't there – that wasn't my lookout. He was doing very well for himself. I knew that he had settled in the team. He made no mistake at the start. They sent him up an order, he got a hundred in ODI. He then went to Test cricket and scored 85. He kept brilliantly. Most importantly, he became a brand overnight. People were after him. He was hugely popular sportsperson right from the outset. I was always the understudy but I was always on the lookout for opportunities, doing something special," Karthik further added.
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Both Karthik and Dhoni were part of India's 2019 ODI World Cup squad. After that, Dhoni took a sabbatical before announcing his international retirement in mid-2020. The former still couldn't become India's first-choice glovesman in white-ball formats as Rishabh Pant's emergence led to him remaining the second fiddle. Karthik was part of India's 2022 T20 World Cup squad but many feel he has already played his last for the Men in Blue after his poor run in the showpiece event.