'Fire is still burning very brightly' - Dinesh Karthik aims to represent India again

Dinesh Karthik was looked upon as a promising wicketkeeper batter for Team India when he had first burst into the scene at the highest level in September 2004. Karthik had made his presence felt on his debut itself when he effected an acrobatic stumping to dismiss the then England skipper Michael Vaughan at Lord’s.

The then 19-year-old was set to be the next big thing in Indian cricket before the emergence of MS Dhoni later that year filled the wicketkeeper’s slot permanently as a result of which the Tamil Nadu stumper was in and out of the team in the 15 years that he got to play. While it has been nearly three years since Dinesh Karthik had last donned the Indian jersey, he reckons that he has still got enough left in him to play in the shortest format and the veteran is determined to make a comeback in the T20I team.

“I genuinely harbour the ambition of playing for the country again and I want to do everything possible, that is my ultimate goal. I train and practice, everything I do right now is working towards that goal. The next three years for me is about playing the sport and doing everything I can. I enjoy playing the sport,” said Dinesh Karthik according to India Today.

Dinesh Karthik says his aim is to play for the country again

Meanwhile, the veteran stumper has also made it clear that he is not yet done representing India and still has the potential to be a part of the T20I squad with the T20 World Cup coming up in Australia later this year.

“My main aim is to play for the country again, especially the T20 format. T20 is something, the fire is still burning very brightly. Even in the last T20 World Cup, one of the main areas is a finisher and that is a role I am looking at very keenly. Over the period of time, the stats and performances show that I have done a decent job in the limited time I have spent in Indian colors and the franchises I have played for,” he said.

The cricketer-turned-part-time broadcaster was last seen in action for the Men Blue during the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand where he scored a painstaking six runs off 24 deliveries on a tough Manchester surface. Karthik had last made his T20I appearance during the home series against Australia in February 2019.