“Dhoni mania was so big that you had to pick him,” Dinesh Karthik recalls his competition with former India skipper

Dhoni's exponential growth diminished chances of other options like Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel.

Team India are now blessed with a number of good wicketkeeper batters like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson among others. As a result, there is a healthy competition in the team for that slot.

However, there was a period when India struggled to find a keeper who could also be an able batter until the certain MS Dhoni arrived on the scene.

Since Dhoni turned out to be a legend for India in many aspects, it diminished the chances of other options like Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel.

Speaking on the RCB podcast, Karthik recently recalled his competition with Dhoni.

“I made my debut before him. We went together on an India A tour and from there I got picked to the Indian team. That was the first time I played a match together with him. I did so well that they picked me for the Indian team. From there, they went on another trip, there was a ODI tournament where he just blasted it there with boundaries and sixes. The world was still getting used to something like that, it was that sort of thing. People stood up and said there is nobody like him. They said he's a special player. Obviously I came to the Indian team, but by then the Dhoni mania was so big that you had to pick him. He then replaced me in all formats and he did very well. At the end of the day, it is all about taking opportunities,” Karthik stated.

When asked whether it was difficult to accept that he was not the first-choice wicketkeeper in the national side, Karthik said he was on the lookout for opportunities and hence was always geared up.

“I was chasing excellence. I was constantly on the path of becoming the best batter in the world. Dhoni was there, he wasn't there - that wasn't my lookout. He was doing very well for himself. I knew that he had settled in all team. And he made no mistake. They sent him up an order, he got a hundred in ODI. He then went to Test cricket and scored 85. He kept brilliantly. Most importantly, he became a brand overnight. People were after him. He was huge right from the outset. I remained the under study but I was always on the lookout for opportunities,” he added.

While Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020, Karthik is yet to call time on his international career. He last featured in the Indian team during last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia.