Virat Kohli : We wanted to give Dinesh Karthik a longer run

In the first warm-up clash against New Zealand, Karthik looked out of sorts in the middle and couldn’t open his account. In the second match, however, against Bangladesh, when India were on 21 for 2, Karthik partnered Shikhar Dhawan to build the innings and scored and impressive 77-ball before being retired out. That seemed to excite Kohli and he hinted at an extended run for the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper in the line-up.

Karthik, who has represented India in 103 games across all formats, in the Post-match press conference, said, “I saw this game as an opportunity to showcase my skill and it was nice to get some time in the middle. I feel ready for the tournament now. For me, obviously, it was an important match. I guess the likes of captain and coach are watching me bat, and (for them) seeing where I stand is very important. It’s important that whenever I get the opportunity, I try and do the best that I can.”

“In the last game I was a little nervous going in. Even though Virat (Kohli) tried his best to calm my nerves, it was a little difficult. I was back in the blues after a long time, so I guess I was very over-excited probably. It was one of those days where the bowler and the keeper were playing and I was just standing in between not doing much and getting beaten! It was pretty embarrassing out there.

“Against Bangladesh, I calmed myself down and I thought: ‘it’s an important opportunity for me to go out there and play a few shots’. I worked on my batting a little bit yesterday, got a hit and felt better today.”