Focussing on batting to return to Indian team: Dinesh Karthik

New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) With a new domestic season just round the corner, out-of-favour wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik is planning to work on his batting to return to the Indian team as a specialist batsman.

Karthik said on Wednesday that with Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the side, he can only be a reserve keeper, and so he is preparing hard to score runs and make a comeback purely as a batsman.

"As long as Dhoni is around, I can't think of being the wicket-keeper batsman of the Indian team. So I have to concentrate on my batting," said Karthik, on the sidelines of an event promoting jewellery brand Platinum here.

Having made his international debut in 2004, Karthik’s career has been stop-start with the task of fulfilling various roles from being a specialist opening batsman to a non-wicket-keeper. But he is unfazed by the lack of momentum in his career-graph and looking to start afresh in his quest.

"I am batting at No.3 in the Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu and looking to contribute runs to the team. My target is to score runs heavily so that I can be considered for selection as a batsman," the 29-year-old said.

Karthik's task, though, has become even tougher after the rise of young wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, but he remains unperturbed by it.

"I am still hopeful despite his inclusion. He is 20 and I am only 29. I don't think that the Indian cap is beyond me," the Delhi Daredevils batsman said.