Dinesh Karthik

Introduction

Krishnakumar Dinesh Karthik is an Indian cricketer who plays for the Indian Cricket Team and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (2023). The captain of the Tamil Nadu cricket team at the moment is well-known Indian batsman Dinesh Karthik.

He was the fourth Indian batter to attain the milestone of 300 T20 matches since making his debut for the national cricket team in 2004. This is an incredible accomplishment. Karthik was also a part of the teams that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, adding to his impressive record.

Karthik achieved his first-ever century in Test cricket against Bangladesh and emerged as India's highest run scorer during their Test tour of England. His contribution played a crucial role in India's historic series win in England after a long gap of 21 years.

However, following a dip in form in September 2007, he was dropped from the Test team and has only made sporadic international appearances since then. From 2018 to 2020, he captained the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. Karthik has also worked as a commentator for Sky Sports during India's tour of England in 2020 and 2021.

Profile

About Dinesh Karthik

• Full Name: Krishnakumar Dinesh Karthik
• Birth Date: June 1, 1985
• Age: 38
• Nickname: DK
• Occupation: Indian professional cricketer
• Place of Birth: Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
• Batting: Right-handed
• Bowling: Right-arm off-break
• Role: Wicket-keeper-batter
• Wife's Name: Dipika Pallikal
• Height: 5 feet 7 inches

Parents Name

• Mother: Padmini Krishnakumar
• Father: Krishna Kumar

Relationships

• Nikita Vanjara (married in 2007 and divorced in 2012)
• Dipika Pallikal (married in 2015)

About International Cricket

• National Side: India (2004 to 2022)
• Test Debut: November 3, 2004 against Australia
• Test cap number: 250
• Last Test: August 9, 2018 against England
• ODI Debut: September 5, 2004 v England
• ODI cap number: 156
• Last ODI: July 10, 2019, against New Zealand
• ODI shirt number: 21
• T20I Debut: December 1, 2006 against South Africa
• T20I cap number: 04
• Last T20I: November 2, 2022 against Bangladesh

Early Life

Karthik was born on June 1, 1985. At the age of ten, Karthik began playing cricket in Kuwait, where he had moved with his employed father. He received his education in India, attending Carmel School and Fahaheel Al-Watanieh Indian Private School in Kuwait, before continuing his studies at Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Chennai from the eighth grade onwards.

Karthik was coached in cricket by his father, a first-division cricketer from Chennai. His father disappointed that his career was hindered by prioritizing education, trained Karthik hard from a young age to prevent the same fate. Karthik honed his reflexes by practicing with hard leather balls thrown at high speeds by his father. Starting as a batsman, he later learned wicket-keeping from the Tamil Nadu youth.

After working his way up through the youth levels, Karthik made his debut in the early 1999 season for the Tamil Nadu under-14 team before being promoted to the under-19 team for the 2000/04 season. The next season, he made his senior team's first-class debut.

Personal Life

Dinesh Karthik married Nikita Vanjara in 2007, but they divorced in 2012 due to relationship issues. Nikita later married Karthik's fellow cricketer, Murali Vijay.

In 2008, Karthik participated in the dance-reality show Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina with Nigaar Khan. In November 2013, Karthik got engaged to Indian squash player Dipika Pallikal, and they had traditional Christian and Hindu wedding ceremonies in August 2015. The couple welcomed twin boys, Kabir and Zian, on October 18, 2021.

Domestic Career

Dinesh Karthik debuted in first-class cricket in late 2002 as a wicketkeeper for Baroda. He played in five round-robin matches, scoring 179 runs with an average of 35.80. His highest score was 88 not out against Uttar Pradesh. However, his performance declined after this match, and he scored at most 20 runs for the rest of the season. Despite taking 11 catches, he was dropped from the final matches due to wicket-keeping errors.

Karthik was not chosen for the zonal Duleep Trophy, but he played for the South Zone under-19 team instead. In his second zonal season, he performed better, scoring 180 runs at an average of 60.00 with three half-centuries. He participated in three youth One Day Internationals (ODIs) against Nepal after being chosen for the national under-19 team.

Karthik improved his wicket-keeping technique at a camp led by former Indian keeper Kiran More during the off-season. He then played in the Chennai League and returned to the under-22 team before being selected for India Emerging Players to play against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in late September.

Karthik was brought back to the Ranji Trophy team for the 2003-04 season. He grabbed 20 catches and scored 438 runs at an average of 43.80, including two hundreds. In the semi-final against Railways, he scored his first first-class century with 122 runs. He then scored an unbeaten 109 in the final against Mumbai.

Karthik had a successful cricket career, including being selected for the India squad in the 2004 Under-19 Cricket World Cup and scoring two half-centuries on an India A tour to Zimbabwe. In the 2008-09 domestic first-class season, he had a strong performance, including scoring 213 runs in partnership with Subramaniam Badrinath as Tamil Nadu defeated Uttar Pradesh by an innings in the Ranji Trophy. He also scored 123 and 113 in consecutive matches against Baroda and Railways and ended the season with 72 against Uttar Pradesh in the return match. In the Duleep Trophy, he scored 153 against Central Zone. Overall, he ended the season with 1,026 runs at 64.12, including five centuries and two fifties.

In 2009-2010, Karthik captained Tamil Nadu in six Ranji Trophy matches. He scored 152 against Orissa, 117 against Punjab, and two other scores of at least 70. In his four other innings, he only scored 16 runs, ending the season with 443 runs and an average of 55.37.

Dinesh Karthik was named India A's captain for the 2018-19 Deodhar Trophy in October 2018. He was chosen for the India C team for the following tournament in October 2019. Dinesh Karthik successfully led the Tamil Nadu team to victory in the 2020-21 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, marking their second win in the tournament. He had previously captained the team to victory in the inaugural edition in 2006-07. Karthik's outstanding performance, with 183 runs at an average of 61.00, earned him a place as captain in Wisden's 'team of the tournament.'

Indian Premier League

Karthik was a wicketkeeper for the Delhi Daredevils in the 2008 Indian Premier League. He amassed 145 runs with a strike rate of 135.51 and an average of 24.16. His highest score was an unbeaten 56 in a group match against the Mumbai Indians. He participated in all 15 Delhi Indian Premier League matches in 2009, amassing 288 runs at an average of 36.0 and recording 17 dismissals. Despite Delhi topping the pool stage, Karthik only scored nine runs in the semi-final, and the Deccan Chargers defeated Delhi.

In the year 2011, Kings XI Punjab had purchased him for a hefty sum of $900,000. It made him the second most expensive player on their team. Later on, in the 2012 Indian Premier League, he joined Mumbai Indians for a reported amount of $2.35 million. He played with Mumbai Indians for two seasons (2012 and 2013) and won his only IPL title in the 2013 season. He was repurchased by Delhi in 2014, then by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2015, and finally by the Gujarat Lions in 2016, who retained him for the 2017 season.

CricBuzz chose Karthik to be the IPL XI's wicketkeeper in 2017. He was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2018 Indian Premier League season when he took Gautam Gambhir's spot and guided the team to the playoffs. Karthik was included in the Cricinfo and CricBuzz IPL XI due to his performance throughout the 2018 IPL season.

Midway through the 2020 season, Karthik resigned as captain and gave Eoin Morgan command. But in the second half, the team only won three of seven games, and they failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year.

He made seven dismissals and scored 223 runs in the 2021 Indian Premier League. Only Gautam Gambhir has led the Kolkata Knight Riders to more captaincy victories than DK, who left the team at the end of his tenure.

Karthik was acquired by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for ₹5.50 crores in the 2022 Indian Premier League auction. With a strike rate of 183.33 and an average of 55.00, he scored 330 runs in 16 matches.

International Career

Test Career

In October 2004, Karthik made his debut in Test cricket when Australia and India played their fourth Test in Mumbai. He replaced Parthiv Patel, who had been discarded because of his poor wicket-keeping. On a surface with inconsistent bounce and spin, where 40 wickets fell in two days, he was commended for his wicket-keeping despite scoring 14 runs in two innings and taking two catches.

After that, Karthik was chosen for India's next two-test home series against South Africa. He only managed to score one run in the first Test match at Kanpur, a high-scoring tie in which both sides scored over 450 in the opening half. He contributed 46 runs in the second Test in Kolkata, helping India build an eight-wicket lead after 106 runs in the first innings.

During the December 2004 two-Test series between India and Bangladesh, Karthik was given the chance to achieve greatness. Though his team scored more than 500 in both games, Karthik only managed to score 25 and 11 runs as India won the series by an innings.

He was chosen, nonetheless, for the March three-Test series against Pakistan at home. Karthik scored just six runs in the first Test at Mohali, which resulted in a thrilling draw. India's total for the match was 516. In the match against Pakistan at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, he then produced his finest Test batting effort to that date. Karthik got off to a strong start when India elected to bat first, reaching 28 runs before getting bowled out. Pakistan scored 393 runs in response to India's 407 runs. Rahul Dravid and Karthik partnered to score runs and establish a goal of 422 in the second innings. The surface deteriorated and India won the match by a final score of 196 runs. In the next game, after India scored 1,280 runs for just 22 wickets in the first three innings, Karthik managed just 10 and 9 runs as his team crumbled and lost 10 wickets on the last day of play.

After scoring 148 in a One-Day International against Pakistan, Dhoni took Karthik's spot for the three Test matches against Sri Lanka played at home. Karthik has scored 245 runs at an average of 18.84 in the 10 tests since his debut, with one half-century and one other score above 25. In November 2006, he was called up to the Test team as a backup wicketkeeper and middle-order batsman.

Karthik made his Test debut against South Africa at Newlands in the third Test, his first in more than a year, when Dhoni injured his finger. Sehwag batted in the middle order after he and Wasim Jaffer opened the innings together. He contributed to a century-opening partnership and helped India achieve 414 (enough for a 41-run advantage in the first innings) by scoring 63 in the first innings, drawing on his local expertise. Karthik was still undefeated at 38 when the team was all out for 169 in the second innings. Apart from his hitting, he was also praised for his wicket-keeping abilities.

After a team change, Karthik was selected as a specialist opener for a tour of Bangladesh, even though he did not participate in any matches in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. Before making his first Test century in the second Test in Dhaka, when he scored 129 runs and took part in a century-opening partnership as India won the innings, he was able to score 56 and 22 in the drawn first Test in Chittagong.

Karthik was a consistent opener throughout the middle of the 2007 England Test series. He scored 51 and 76 in the tour matches before the Tests, showing good form. He scored fifty runs in each of the three Tests. Karthik scored sixty runs in the second innings of the first Test at Lord's before rain called off play, with India needing to reach 380 at 9/282.

He struck 77 and 22 in the second Test at Trent Bridge and 91 in the third Test at the Oval. He finished the series as India's top scorer with 263 runs at 43.83, leading the team to its first series victory in England in twenty-one years. Karthik began the ODI series with an undefeated 44, but he was dropped for the next two matches after failing to score more than four runs in four straight innings.

Karthik had a disappointing home Test series against Pakistan at the end of 2008. His best score in the first two Tests was just 39 runs in two innings, and he only ever reached single digits once. Because Dhoni was injured, he batted lower on the order and maintained wickets in the third Test at Bangalore, hitting 24 and 52 in a high-scoring draw. With Karthik behind the stumps for 35 byes, the second-highest in Test history, India set the world record for the most extras surrendered in an innings of a Test match.

While Gambhir was ruled out due to injury, Karthik was chosen to begin the Test series against Australia. Karthik was in the team, but he did not participate in the first two Test matches because Yuvraj batted in the middle order and Dravid opened with Tendulkar. Nevertheless, Yuvraj was dropped for the third Test of the series, and Dravid reverted to his number-three spot after both players struggled in their new positions.

However, Karthik was not added back into the starting lineup. When Dhoni took an absence from the Test team owing to exhaustion in July 2008, Karthik was recalled as a wicketkeeper for the tour of Sri Lanka. He participated in the first two Test matches; however, he struggled to bat in the middle order. He only managed to score 36 runs at an average of 9.00, falling four times to spinners Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan.

He was selected as a backup wicketkeeper for the New Zealand trip after making an undefeated 117 against Kerala in the 2009 one-day competition. Karthik replaced the injured Dhoni in the second Test after the T20 and ODI series. However, he was criticized for missing many catches.

Karthik played the opening Test in Chittagong following Dhoni's subsequent injury. He watched the following game after Dhoni returned, despite scoring 27 in the second and a duck in the first.

His scores of 183 and 150 in the Duleep Trophy final versus West Zone made him the third player to achieve hundreds in both innings of a Duleep Trophy final.

Limited Over Career

Against England at Lord's in the last ODI series match of 2004, Dinesh Karthik made his debut with a single run. He ultimately stumped England captain Michael Vaughan down the legside and made another catch despite dropping Vaughan from Anil Kumble's bowling. Before MS Dhoni took his spot in the ODI team, Karthik was involved in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy match against Kenya, where he took three catches. It was in April 2006 that he played another ODI.

For the last ODI against England in Indore in April 2006, Karthik was included back to the team so that Dhoni could have a rest. India won handily by seven wickets; therefore, he was spared from having to bat. Karthik then made the West Indies tour team as the backup wicketkeeper following his 134-run haul for India A at 33.50, which featured a 75-run effort to win man-of-the-match against the United Arab Emirates.

Following Yuvraj Singh's injury later that year, he was given extra chances to play for the nation during the ODI tour of South Africa. Karthik suffered as a batsman in three of the ODIs, managing just 42 runs at an average of 14.0 and a highest score of 17 as South Africa finished with a 5-0 whitewash (In cricket, a whitewash is when a team wins all the matches in a series).

Throughout his 15-year career, Dinesh Karthik has represented the Indian side in 32 T20 matches and 94 ODIs. In ICC competitions, he has kept wickets and won major awards in both ODI and T20I cricket. With a strike rate of 143.52, Karthik's best average in T20s is 33.25. He is a serious candidate for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2022, even if he was left out of the ODIs following the 2019 World Cup. He led India to victory over South Africa in a Twenty20 International match in 2007 with an undefeated 31.

2In the four-match ODI series against the West Indies, he also participated. In a slow-wicket match at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, he top-scored with 63 to win his maiden man-of-the-match award. Later that, he was selected for the Sri Lankan series as well as the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Before their tour to England, India played a series of one-day internationals (ODIs) in Ireland against the hosts and South Africa, in which Karthik appeared in four matches.

He played in India's previous matches and was picked for the first-ever 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa in September 2007. But in the semi-final and final, Rohit Sharma took his spot. He only played in the last match of the series against England in Mumbai, when he made a duck (batsman's dismissal without scoring any runs), and India lost by two wickets.

2009-2019

Due to a shoulder injury, Karthik took Virender Sehwag's position during India's four-match tour to the West Indies. He played as the opener and helped India win the series 2-1 with scores of 67, 4, and 47 runs. Karthik proceeded to play in a brief triangular One-Day International (ODI) competition in September when he scored four and sixteen in India's two round-robin games (A round-robin is a sports competition where each participant competes against every other participant). He was, nonetheless, benched for the decisive game, which India won. Karthik was left out of the first two matches of the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa despite being retained because of his performance in Sri Lanka. He got to participate in the last pool game between India and the West Indies, and he scored 34 in a victory over seven wickets, but it was not enough to keep India out of the first round.

Karthik was recalled to the ODI team for the December 2009 Sri Lankan tour of India following Dhoni's two-match ban for poor over rates. Karthik subsequently assumed the duty of wicketkeeper for the next two matches, contributing to India's successful pursuit of the goal with scores of 32 and 19, all of which he finished without losing a wicket. In the fifth and final match, which finished early because of an unsafe pitch, he maintained his spot as a middle-order batsman even after Tendulkar was rested, Yuvraj was hurt, and Dhoni came back.

Tendulkar was rested for the match, but Karthik kept his spot for the ODI tri-series in Bangladesh against the hosts and Sri Lanka. Karthik was called up to the Indian ODI team for the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy because of his outstanding domestic season and IPL performance. After hitting consecutive hundreds in the two warm-up games, he secured his spot on the tournament team.

Against Sri Lanka on December 10, 2017, Karthik established an ODI record by going through 18 deliveries without making a score. He was brought in during the third Test of India's 2017-18 tour of South Africa to replace the injured wicketkeeper, Saha. On the fourth day of the Test, Karthik took over as the wicketkeeper after Patel, the replacement, hurt his right index finger.

Despite being included in the limited-overs team, he did not feature in the starting eleven until the last Twenty20 International, in which he scored 13 runs off of only 6 balls. For the Nidahas Trophy Tri-Nation T20 series in March 2018, Karthik was once again included in the squad, but regular team member (and wicketkeeper) Dhoni was rested. He produced a match-winning innings against Bangladesh in the tournament final, scoring an undefeated 29 runs off 8 balls. When India required 34 runs in the final two overs, he entered to bat. His aggressiveness, which included striking a six with five runs needed on the final ball, ensured that India would win both the match and the tournament.

He was selected to play for India in the 2019 Cricket World Cup in April. On July 6, Karthik played in his 150th India international match during the match against Sri Lanka. The Tamil Nadu cricketer was dropped from both the ODI and T20I teams following the 2019 World Cup due to his poor performance.

Comeback

Three years later, in May 2022, Karthik rejoined India's Twenty20 team for a tour to South Africa. In the third Twenty20 match with South Africa, he got his first half-century in sixteen years. He was chosen for India's Twenty20 International series against Ireland in June 2022. Karthik was selected as captain for India's 20-over practice matches against Northamptonshire and Derbyshire in July 2022. Later, he was called up to the Indian team for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2022. Karthik and skipper Rohit Sharma are the only two members of the 2022 team who were part of India's winning 2007 campaign under MS Dhoni.

Commentary Career

During the India-England T20I and ODI series in March 2021, Dinesh Karthik made his commentary debut for the official broadcasters of the England and Wales Cricket Board. In addition, he contributed to the commentary team for both the ICC World Test Championship final and the Hundred. He was a member of the commentary team for the ODI and T20I series between England and Sri Lanka in July 2021.

Career Statistics

Conclusion

Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has represented both the Indian Cricket Team and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He made his debut in 2004 and was the fourth batter from India to play 300 T20 matches in Karthik. Dinesh Karthik was part of the side that took home the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy as well as the first-ever 2007 T20 World Cup. Karthik has also worked as a commentator for Sky Sports during India's tour of England in 2020 and 2021. He has represented India in Test, ODI, and T20 matches.