Dinesh Karthik admits he’s aware of expectations of being KKR skipper

04/02/2018

New KKR captain Dinesh Karthik has admitted that he is aware of expectations of stepping into Gautam Gambhir’s shoes and is confident of handling it efficiently. The Tamil Nadu veteran also revealed that he would bat at a different position for KKR than where he does in national colors.

Kolkata Knight Riders took a huge gamble by moving away from the fool-proof plan this mega-auction, as they decided to part ways with the settled players like Gautam Gambhir, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav among others. Releasing Gambhir was definitely the biggest risk of them all, given the dearth of captaincy material in the IPL.

Their decision to hand that responsibility to Dinesh Karthik instead of the well-acquainted Robin Uthappa was further met with questions and controversy. The Tamil Nadu player, who was brought in for 7.4 crores in the auction, however, has been well aware of the pressure of replacing Gambhir, who won the side two titles in 2012 and 2014 and took them to the playoffs thrice (2011, 2016 and 2017).

Karthik isn’t new to IPL either and has been a part of the cash-rich league since its very inception in 2008. However, despite having the experience of playing for five different franchises – Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils and Gujarat Lions – Karthik has admitted that the “phenomenal” Gambhir has left a big mark on KKRs history.

“Being a leader of the team, the management will expect from me the same. I’m aware of the expectations. Yes, there would be pressure. As a captain, you’re expected to at least go to the playoffs, that’s the least anybody can expect. I think I’m at a stage where I can handle it and get the best out of the team,” said Karthik, reported PTI.

KKR fans, however, got a glimpse of their new skipper’s abilities in the Nidahas Trophy final where India beat Bangladesh, thanks to Karthik’s 29-run knock in just eight balls that included a last-ball six. When asked about it, Karthik was quick to point out that the IPL will be a totally different platform with a different squad, where the pressure will be different.

“It’s been close to 10 days now since that innings, things have moved on, people have moved on. We have a new bunch of boys. It was a great game as I’ve said. When we play Bangladesh, it’s a different kind of pressure. If you win, you are like ‘okay you’ve won’, but if you lose it’s like ‘wake up, what you doing’ types,” he added.

Karthik has usually come in at number five or six for the national side that has players like Rohit Sharna, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Manish Pandey at the top of the batting order. However, he hinted that for KKR, he would likely change that and most probably come up the order.

“Obviously I will bat at different position than what I did in the Indian game. IPL is about dealing with tricky situation, handling pressure. It’s just a week to go and I don’t think I will treat myself any differently. Everybody is here to do their best and I’m no different. Everybody has a role to play,” he said.

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Dinesh Karthik admits he’s aware of expectations of being KKR skipper

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