Dinesh Karthik’s career has been a mixed bag like no other. His highs have been monstrous, while the lows as low as they can get. Karthik began his India career before MS Dhoni. Not many will forget him famously stumping Michael Vaughan down the leg side almost horizontal to the ground as his first international stumping but inconsistencies meant he could never quite cement his place in the national side. Having said that, Karthik has been a phenomenal talent across formats.
Karthik made his first-class debut during the 2002-03 season and was shortly after picked for the national side as a 19-year-old. He made his ODI debut against England at Lord’s in September 2004 while his Test debut came in November 2004. However, his inconsistency went against him and Karthik was eventually dropped from the Indian team. By the time he started churning out runs for Tamil Nadu consistently, MS Dhoni had already made a name for himself which meant Karthik getting his place in the national side became tougher.
Karthik’s biggest moment came when he was picked on the Indian side for the tour to England as an opener. His stoic defense and technique came to the fore and he finished the tour as India’s highest run-scorer ahead of a number of decorated names like Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Sachin Tendulkar. But Karthik’s wicket-keeping was still very much a work in progress and he did not warrant a place in the side only as a batsman.
There were a few times he was called back into the national side but never for a stretch. Karthik was part of the Indian side that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, in South Africa, and the winning 2013 Champions Trophy side. Even when MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014, Wriddhiman Saha was preferred over Karthik.
Karthik did, however, grab the nation’s attention when he hit the famous six off the last ball in the Nidahas Trophy final in 2018, in Sri Lanka. Over the last few years, the emergence of Rishabh Pant and Saha has meant Karthik getting even fewer opportunities but he remains one of the most talented wicket-keeper batsmen in India.
The IPL has provided much-needed solace to Karthik. Currently part of Kolkata Knight Riders, Karthik has played for six teams – Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Punjab Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was picked in the inaugural edition of the IPL for INR 2.4 crore by Delhi before moving to Punjab in 2011. He was brought for a whopping 12.5 crores by Delhi in 2014 and next year was picked up for 10.5 crores by Bangalore. In 2016, Gujarat paid 2.3 crores for his services. Karthik was named captain of the Kolkata franchise in 2018 before he handed over the reins to Eoin Morgan mid-season last year.
Dinesh Karthik Biography
| Full Name | Krishnakumar Dinesh Karthik |
| Born | 1 June, 1985 |
| Birth Place | Jamnagar, Gujarat |
| Height | 5’6 |
| Role | Wicket-keeper batsman |
| Batting Style | Right-handed batsman |
| Bowling Style | – |
| First Class Debut | Vs Baroda, 2002 |
| ODI Debut | Vs England, September 2004 |
| T20I Debut | Vs South Africa, December 2006 |
| IPL Debut | Vs Rajasthan, April 2008 |
| Test Debut | Vs Australia, November 2004 |
Batting Stats & Records
| Format | M | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50s | 100s | 4s | 6s |
| IPL | 199 | 3855 | 97 | 26.05 | 129.62 | 19 | 0 | 379 | 106 |
| Test | 26 | 1025 | 129 | 25.0 | 49.28 | 7 | 1 | 134 | 4 |
| ODIs | 94 | 1752 | 79 | 30.21 | 73.24 | 9 | 0 | 176 | 15 |
| T20Is | 32 | 399 | 48 | 33.25 | 143.53 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 15 |
Recent Matches
| Team | Opposition | Date | Bat |
| KKR | RCB | 18 Apr 2021 | 2 |
| KKR | Mumbai | 13 Apr 2021 | 8* |
| KKR | Hyderabad | 11 Apr 2021 | 22* |
| TN | Vidarbha | 28 Feb 2021 | 19 |
| TN | Jharkhand | 26 Feb 2021 | 1 |
| TN | M. Pradesh | 24 Feb 2021 | 37 |
| TN | Andhra | 22 Feb 2021 | 7 |
| TN | Punjab | 20 Feb 2021 | 19 |
| TN | Baroda | 31 Jan 2021 | 22 |
| TN | Rajasthan | 29 Jan 2021 | 26* |
Interesting Facts About Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik made his international debut as a 19-year-old but his career never quite took off like his peers. However, he has been a stalwart in domestic cricket as well as in the IPL. Here we look at some more interesting facts and records held by Dinesh Karthik.
- Karthik holds the record of the fourth-highest strike rate in a T20I innings – 362.50 vs Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy final in 2018.
- Karthik was selected for the India squad in the 2004 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh.
- Karthik has led Tamil Nadu to two Syed Mushtaq Ali titles, in 2006-07 and 2020-21.
- Karthik was captain of Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2018 season. He relinquished the position midway through the 2020 season.
- Karthik has played more than 300 T20 matches and is a veteran of the shortest format of the game.
How Dinesh Karthik’s stats will help you in Fantasy Cricket?
Dinesh Karthik has been one of the key players in the Kolkata Knight Riders setup and while he might not be captain, he remains to be a vital cog in their middle-order. Karthik is one of the best finishers in the game. In addition, he is an excellent wicket-keeper. He is one player you can always bank on to give you points when you are building your fantasy cricket team on MPL.
