IND vs SA 2022: Dinesh Karthik - Last shot at glory for Indian cricket’s nearly man
A young Dinesh Karthik was the Player of the Match in India’s first-ever T20I, against South Africa in Johannesburg on December 1, 2006. He scored an unbeaten 31 off 28 as Team India chased down a target of 127 with six wickets in hand and one ball remaining.
More than 15 years later, he is the only player from either side who is still active in international cricket. This longevity is misleading though. Over the last decade and a half, DK (as he is fondly known), has only featured in 32 T20Is and has scored 399 runs at a strike rate of 143.52. He has been more out than in the Indian team.
Even his latest comeback to the Indian setup for the T20I series against South Africa at home, which begins on Thursday (June 9), has come after a gap of nearly three years. He last represented the Men in Blue during the 2019 50-over World Cup in England.
Unlike his previous returns though, the series against South Africa marks the beginning of Karthik's last chance to leave a significant stamp on Indian cricket. He recently turned 37 and, even if he stays fit, he will only be considered for future selection on the basis of his performances with the willow.
Unlucky or too lucky?
There are two ways to look at the veteran cricketer's international career.
One view would say that he has been unfortunate not to have played more for India. He made his international debut around the same time as MS Dhoni. And once the latter took the game by storm, he obviously became India’s first choice keeper-batter across all formats of the game.
In a nutshell, Karthik was probably born in the wrong era as, while he was talented without a doubt, his ability paled in comparison to MSD.
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Looking at the other side of the coin, though, the Tamil Nadu cricketer did get quite a few opportunities to establish himself in the Indian team, especially in the Test and one-day formats. Karthik played 26 Tests and 94 ODIs between 2004 and 2019, which is quite a significant number of games. But his stats do not do justice to his talent.
The right-handed batter averages 25 in the traditional format of the game and just over 30 in the 50-over format. As such, it can also be claimed that the keeper-batter got more than enough chances to prove his worth but failed to grab them.
Scattered glimpses of brilliance
Glancing at his stats in international cricket, some critics might opine that Karthik was perhaps never good enough for the big stage. However, that doesn't hold true as the experienced batter has come up with some highly versatile performances for India over the years. His finest moment in whites for the country came during the tour of England in 2007.
Karthik took up the challenge of opening the innings in alien conditions and was one of the chief architects of India’s 1-0 series win. He wore down an England attack comprising James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom and Monty Panesar. In fact, the keeper-batter was the leading run-getter for India in the series, compiling 263 runs in three Tests at an average of 43.83.
Just to put the achievement into perspective, that Indian team of 2007 comprised a batting line-up that had the following names - Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Dhoni himself. Unfortunately, Karthik could not build on that solid foundation to his Test career and lost his way somewhere in the middle.
The story has been similar in the one-day format as well. Agreed, Karthik batted in the lower order for most of the matches, where he had to go after the bowlers. However, he cannot complain about not being given enough opportunities at the top.
Karthik opened for India 21 times in ODIs but averaged only 25.20. He did average 38.72 from 18 games at No. 4. But the figures are bloated as he was not out seven times. There weren’t too many big knocks in there with a highest of 64*.
When Karthik played that stunning cameo (29* off 8) in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy final (T20 tri-series) against Bangladesh, he achieved belated fame.
Suddenly, there were expectations of miracles from DK. The hype was short-lived, though, as he has only played a handful of T20Is since. To be fair to Karthik here, he deserved more opportunities after his Nidahas Trophy heroics. However, the arrival of the dynamic Rishabh Pant put his case on the backfoot yet again.
Now or never for Dinesh Karthik
The 37-year-old would be the first to admit that he hasn’t done justice to his potential at the international level. At the same time, his conviction to carry on playing and push for a comeback at this late stage of his career is admirable.
The way he batted for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022, performing the role of a finisher with aplomb, signified a man on a mission. Following his incredible hitting in the T20 league, no one can hold a grudge against him over his latest comeback to the Indian team. It’s a thoroughly deserved one.
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It is equally true that making a return to the squad is only half the job done. He now needs to go out there and prove his credentials on the international stage all over again. This is where Karthik has failed in the past. He doesn’t have that option now though.
The affable cricketer cannot go back and change what has gone wrong in his career. But he has earned a chance to end his stint with India on a glorious note. Not everybody is lucky to get such an opportunity.
There have been players who have been snubbed constantly despite performing day in and day out. In wicket-keeping parlance, it is up to Karthik to either catch or drop this one last chance.