Ambition is to be part of the Indian team for the next two World Cups, admits Dinesh Karthik

At the age of 36, Dinesh Karthik has continued to showcase to the world his performances, as a specialist finisher in the shortest format, for Kolkata Knight Riders and Tamil Nadu. After stepping down from the captaincy last year, Karthik has batted himself down the order, specifically to take up a new role, towards the end of the innings. 

“I believe there is a middle-order slot right now, at Nos. 5, 6, 7. And I can slot into any of the three. For the top four slots, there are way too many players who have done phenomenally well and who keep batting in franchises at that position,” he added.

“My specialty is that I can bat at five, six, seven and help India in setting up the best score possible or in winning games, which I did in the short while before the 2019 World Cup in the T20 format. The fact that I have played 150 games for my country is the experience I will look back on every time I play.”

“You don't want to go to a World Cup with people who have batted in the top four consistently and throw them in at five, six, seven and expect them to do well. You definitely expect a Hardik or a Jadeja to do well. Who else is there who bats at those numbers for their franchises?” he added.

“It was a calculated gamble. I have always been a top-order batter. All my career I batted at three and four for my state. When I played for the country, I batted at positions and even opened at times. So when you move to the middle order you have to change certain aspects: you start focusing more on your ability to hit boundaries, your ability to think on your feet,” he concluded.