Squash queen Dipika Pallikal, who once hated cricketers is set to marry Dinesh Karthik

New Delhi: Squash Queen Dipika Pallikal has completed a full circle….she hated cricketers, she dated a cricketer now all set to marry a cricketer. India's popular sports couple Dipika Pallikal and Dinesh Karthik have decided to get married mid next year after almost two years of togetherness made official with their engagement last November.Pallikal has usually been more vocal about the celebrated relationship but this time India cricketer Karthik took it upon himself to share the wedding plans.But what's interesting is, she used to hate cricketers believing the enormous fame and publicity they get is dwarfing other sportspersons. She is in no mood to change her opinion, infact she is in love with Karthik because he is a simple guy, a "family person".“I have been ready for it (marriage) for sometime now. She has been ready for it from the beginning and the dates are more or less are final. We have gotten to use each other a lot more than it was at the start. So basically, we are ready and there is no fear,” Karthik told PTI in a candid chat on Wednesday after the couple announced their association with Platinum Love Bands.They had to postpone their marriage this year owing to hectic schedules, more so for Pallikal, who had to focus on the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. As it turns out, it was worth the wait with the gorgeous squash player drawing a record three medals from the mega quadrennial events.“I can't really complain about how the script has unfolded. I can look forward to settling down in my life after the best year of my professional career. Having Dinesh by my side in the last year and half is special and I look forward to even better times,” said Pallikal, who looked stunning in a pink dress. Both however chose to keep the details of the planned ceremonies under wraps."It is a funny feeling now. Our common friends pull my leg for my known dislike for cricketers. Frankly, I like him because he is grounded and a homely guy, I can't help if he happens to be a cricketer," Dipika said confirming that Dinesh and she got engaged Nov 15 in their hometown Chennai.Pallikal and Karthik are a rare sports couple in current times and the general perception is their profession binds them together. Giving an insight into their relationship, Karthik however reveals they rarely discuss sport.“That is actually interesting. It is a sports couple but I have never looked at it as a sports couple. We are like any other couple to be honest. She doesn't know much about cricket to enter into my zone though I know a little bit of squash.But that is how it is and we are okay with it,” said the easy going 29-year-old.Karthik further says, “If you look at it, sport is our profession. We go out there and play because we are very passionate about the game we play. Perhaps the only common thing we do sport-wise is go to the gym together. Even there she has her own time and I have my own schedule. The biggest positive of our sport connection is that we like to watch each other play. I especially find it fascinating to watch squash,” he said.The wicket-keeper batsman watched Pallikal win a historic gold in Glasgow Games while his fiancée travelled with Karthik in the last IPL.They say opposite attracts and the same could be said about the two sportspersons. Pallikal is more outgoing while Karthik likes to keep a low profile.Usually one doesn't realise when the cupid strikes and it has happened all too fast for the celebrity couple. They got acquainted at the start of 2013 and by June Dinesh proposed to the 22-year-old in England where he was part of the Indian team that won the Champions Trophy.“We are different personalities and that way we compliment each other. She likes to talk about us in public sometimes and I like to take a step down and keep my private life very private.“But at the base of it we are very simple people. I can also be really lazy sometimes when it comes to going out. On the contrary Dipika likes to eat out even when she is in Chennai. I am two steps back in that sense. I am more of a home who likes to watch movies for as long as I can and spend a lot of time with my friends,” quipped Karthik.They both have had their share of ups and downs but what makes their bond close is the way they look at life, feels Pallikal.The two became friends working under the same trainer, Basu Shankar, but something dramatic had to happen for them to get closer. Understanding each other becomes easier when both are professional sportspersons, though Dinesh and Dipika prefer talking about other things in life. “We are quite driven by our goals. Our goals are very important for us and that is what binds us together. Dinesh was not at home when I came from the Asian Games. You expect your fiance to be home after such a big event but he was practising and I respect that. I know that his game is really important for him,” said the World No.12 adding that constant travelling takes a toll on their personal lives.“We are a young couple and we try to spend maximum time with each other but in our profession it is not possible. And we have somehow learnt to deal with it,” she rued. (with inputs from PTI)