Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik made his India debut back in 2004. He was impressive in the domestic circuit for Tamil Nadu prior to that. Dinesh Karthik also represented India at the U-19 Cricket World Cup. Here is Dinesh Karthik's journey from the minor leagues to the Indian cricket team.

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His journey in cricket  

The Tamil Nadu batsman scored 438 runs with an average of 43.80. Karthik also took 20 catches during the 2003-04 Ranji Trophy season. He scored his maiden first-class century in the semi-final against Railways, scoring 122 runs. Dinesh Karthik followed that up with an unbeaten 109 in the final against Mumbai.

In doing so, Dinesh Karthik was called up to the senior Indian team and made his ODI debut against England. The Tamil Nadu cricketer has played second fiddle since the arrival of MS Dhoni in the limited-overs format. He played for India at the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. Karthik also made the cut for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, which was recently held in England. He played his 150th international match for India in the win against Sri Lanka during the World Cup. 

Statistics and records

The 34-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has enjoyed his fair share of success on the international stage. However, he has not always been consistent with his performances for India. Dinesh Karthik has played 92 ODIs for India scoring at a strike-rate of 73.24 at an average of 25. He has played 32 T20I matches scoring 399 runs at a strike-rate of 143.53. Karthik will be remembered for his match-winning performance in the 2017 Nidahas Trophy against Bangladesh, where he smashed a six off the last delivery to win India the game. 

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Karthik in Indian Premier League

The current Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Captain has been a part of multiple IPL teams. He has played for Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. After the departure of Gautam Gambhir in 2018, Dinesh Karthik was named as the Captain of the KKR franchise. The middle-order batsman will most likely continue to lead KKR for the upcoming season and will hope to lead the Kolkata-based franchise to their third IPL trophy.

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