Karthik is on a roll

[1]

K. Dinesh Karthik — the person, is as energetic as his cricket. Even when off the field, Karthik walks and talks with a similar vigour that he exhibits at the crease.

The confidence in this man is unmistakable. And, it was furthermore underlined during Tamil Nadu’s second Ranji league match last month.

With Tamil Nadu requiring 146 runs off just 13 overs for an outright victory against Haryana, Karthik walked out to open, with Abhinav Mukund in tow.

The former beat the living daylights out of the hapless visitors with a whirlwind 55 off 32 deliveries. Karthik’s knock contained two boundaries and three sixes at a superior strike rate of 171.87. The hosts almost pulled of an astonishing win piling 141 runs from the allotted overs.

Tamil Nadu, who have stormed into the quarterfinals, are well-served by their top-order. And Karthik, a vital cog in TN’s campaign, is only next to Abhinav in the scoring charts this season. The wicketkeeper-batsman has accumulated 440 runs in six matches -- including two hundreds and two fifties at a healthy average of 55. But Karthik isn’t done yet

“The season has been coming along pretty well. The key is to be consistent. And I hope to continue the good show and help my team win,” said Karthik.

In TN’s final league game against Madhya Pradesh last week, Karthik chalked up his season’s best — 156. However, the 26-year-old noted that it wasn’t one of his easiest knock. “The wicket was definitely doing a bit with the odd ball keeping low. It wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on, so I had to apply a lot,” noted Karthik, whose undoing eventually came through a reverse-sweep. “Perhaps it was a lapse of concentration as I was, mentally, a bit tired at that point. Nonetheless, it was a bad shot that did me in.”

Karthik, who skippered the state team last year, added that he is batting a lot freely now after being relieved of captaincy. “To be frank, the pressure is a lot less at the moment. All I have to do is concentrate only on my batting and ’keeping,” he said.

It’s been 23 years since Tamil Nadu have last won the Ranji championship. After that triumph, the team have reached the final four times. On paper, Tamil Nadu hold all the aces to end the long title wait this season. “The previous finals were played under different skippers with a different set of players. This is a fresh unit with the right mixture of youth and experience. We have been doing most of the things right and are confident to go all the way this time,” assured Karthik.

After being overlooked by the national selectors, Karthik is determined to earn his place back. Backed with excellent outings, the talented player has been making all the right noises. “The domestic cricket platform is there for you to perform and prove your mettle. I am happy to be among the runs and will look to continue scoring a lot more. I am keen to get back into the Indian team and I am positive that it will happen in due course. Right now, the focus is to help Tamil Nadu win the Ranji Trophy,” Karthik said.