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Former India captain and star wicketkeeper-batter, MS Dhoni will be remembered as one of the greatest cricketers India ever produced. With his explosive batting, calm and composed demeanour and shrewd tactical acumen, Dhoni rose to be one of Indian cricket's most valuable players and a fan favourite. While Dhoni cemented his place in the Indian side with match-winning performances, he closed the doors on Dinesh Karthik, who made his international debut before the three-time ICC Trophy-winning captain.
Karthik recently opened up on being Dhoni's 'understudy' and the lack of opportunities he had to encounter because of 'Dhoni-mania'.
"I made my debut before him (Dhoni). 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," Karthik said on the RCB podcast.
"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 a 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.
"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 all 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," he noted.
Karthik made his international debut in September 2004 while Dhoni stormed into the national side in December 2004.
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