Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has said that he is not at all thinking about retirement and that the fire to represent India is still burning in his belly. The 36-year-old last played for India at the 2019 World Cup in England. The Tamil Nadu batter said that he is still hopeful of returning to the T20I set-up as a finisher.
Karthik's words
"I genuinely harbour the ambition of playing for the country again and I want to do everything possible, that is my ultimate goal. I train and practice, everything I do right now is working towards that goal. The next three years for me is about playing the sport and doing everything I can. I enjoy playing the sport," Karthik told news agency ANI.
"That is why I go and play Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare for Tamil Nadu. The kind of success we have had as a state team has been phenomenal and me being a part of that journey is something I have thoroughly enjoyed.”
Karthik had smashed a 103-ball 116 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final in December last year, displaying that he is still capable of getting big runs at big stages.
"My main aim is to play for the country again, especially the T20 format. T20 is something, the fire is still burning very brightly," added the wicketkeeper-batter who has played 32 T20Is for India," he added.
Working as a finisher
Karthik said he is eyeing the role of a finisher in the Indian team. Karthik is fondly remembered for his heroics in the Nidahas trophy final. India needed 34 runs from 12 balls when Karthik walked in to bat. The right-handed batter smashed an unbeaten 29 (off 8 balls) including a six on the final ball to seal the game.
"Even in the last T20 World Cup, one of the main areas is a finisher and that is a role I am looking at very keenly. Over the period of time, the stats and performances show that I have done a decent job in the limited time I have spent in Indian colours and the franchises I have played for," he added.
Karthik has played in 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20Is for the Indian team. He has also been playing in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) on a regular basis. The right-handed batter has scored 1025 runs at average of 25 in the longest format of the game, with a highest score of 129. In ODIs he has notched 1752 runs at an average of 30.2. His highest score is 79. In T20I’s the wicketkeeper batter has amassed 399 runs at average of 33.2.
Karthik was also part of the Indian team that won the T20 world Cup in 2007 and the Champions Trophy in 2013.
