Dinesh Karthik recalled his competition with MS Dhoni in the early days of his career on the RCB podcast ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Karthik expressed his thoughts on being replaced by star player Dhoni in all formats of cricket.
Karthik made his debut for Team India three months before Dhoni's debut in the year 2004 after his brilliant performance in India A matches. Karthik made his maiden ODI appearance in September and his maiden Test appearance in the month of November the same year. Dhoni was picked in the squad in December.
Karthik went back to memory lane and remembered the first time that he played a game with Dhoni.
"I made my debut before him. We went together on an India A tour and from there I got picked for the Indian team. That was the first time I played a match together with him," he said.
"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 there with boundaries and sixes. People stood up and said there is nobody like him. They said he's a special player," he added.
Karthik expressed how Dhoni replaced him in all the formats of cricket and how important it is to take opportunities.
"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," Karthik expressed.
Karthik said that even though he was the second option as the wicket-keeper, he was always geared up and in the hunt for opportunities.
“I was chasing excellence. I was constantly on the path of becoming the best batter 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 into the team. And he made no mistake. 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 huge right from the outset. I remained under study but I was always on the lookout for opportunities,” he said.
