India-hopeful Dinesh Karthik speaks about his experiences with Tamil Nadu
Dinesh Karthik has expressed his desire in representing India in the 20-over format and play in the upcoming T20 World Cups. He recently led Tamil Nadu to a sparkling triumph in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Under his leadership, the team put up strong performances in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. Speaking exclusively to 100MB, Karthik shed light on the recent domestic tournaments.
Q. You led Tamil Nadu to the SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) title win this year. You won all your matches. How will you describe that entire tournament?
Karthik: The campaign was really successful. The outcome with respect to the IPL was also fabulous considering that Tamil Nadu as a state has the most representation in the tournament. We have about 13 players going into the tournament. It’s a testament to the fact that we have played some consistent T20 cricket in the last two years.
Tamil Nadu had an excellent run in the Indian domestic T20 tournament. They first clinched all the five group matches and then won three knockout matches to claim the title. N Jagadeesan finished as the highest run-getter of the tournament and was ably supported by Shahrukh Khan, Hari Nishanth and Dinesh Karthik himself. The wicketkeeper-captain scored 161 runs in six matches with a strike rate of 157.75 at an average of 61.
“We’ve played some consistent T20 cricket in the last few years” ?
Watch @DineshKarthik sharing his thoughts on Tamil Nadu’s triumph of #SMAT2021 and more!
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Q. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, who were the talents that stood out for you?
Karthik: The same guys who did well in T20s. Jagadeesan did well, (Baba) Aparajith had a fabulous time, (R) Sai Kishore was fabulous. Then we had a new fast bowler who came in and did really well for us, R Silambarasan. So, these are all the talents that have really stood up for us.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Tamil Nadu won three out of their five matches in the group stage. Baba Aparajith and N Jagadeesan both scored more than 200 runs in these games. R Sai Kishore claimed only three wickets but bowled 44 overs with an economy rate of 3.47. R Silambarasan grabbed seven wickets in only four appearances.
Q. What is the Tamil Nadu system or processes that have made it a side to reckon with?
Karthik: A couple of years ago, I was not playing a lot of cricket for Tamil Nadu. I saw that we were not qualifying for the knockouts. I set up a system where each person knows their role. They realised how difficult it is to play for Tamil Nadu. Playing for your state is something that is very valuable, and it should not be taken for granted. So we brought in a system where work needs to be put in place not only during the tournament but before and after in terms of keeping their fitness level and improving their skill level. That is where I made a conscious effort to speak about and now the results are there for everyone to see.
Alongside making Tamil Nadu a strong side in the Indian domestic circuit, Karthik has also expressed his ambitions of representing India once again. The wicketkeeper-batsman is eyeing the upcoming T20 World Cups and feels that he is ready to play a crucial role in the Indian team. Karthik’s T20I record speaks for itself. The Man of the match in India’s maiden T20I victory has an average of 33.25 and a strike rate of 143.52 in 32 national appearances.
The swashbuckling wicket-keeper batsman @DineshKarthik is eyeing to be a part of the upcoming T20 World Cup!
He averages 33.25 with a SR of 143.53 in T20Is ? pic.twitter.com/QO3DBWyuiA— 100MB (@100MasterBlastr) March 9, 2021
Also read: Dinesh Karthik – The T20 batsman India needs
