Karthik hailed Dhoni as one of the greatest cricketers ever.
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has apologised to the fans for leaving out the legendary MS Dhoni from his all-time India XI.
Last week, Karthik had put forth the names of the players in his all-time India XI and Dhoni’s omission caught everyone’s attention. He left the fans stunned as well as disappointed by his call.
However, Karthik issued a clarified regarding the same on Thursday (August 22, citing that it was a genuine mistake from his side as he had completely forgotten about adding a wicketkeeper while making the team.
Karthik said many assumed that he had chosen Rahul Dravid as a wicketkeeper-batter in the side, but it wasn’t the case.
"Bhai log. Bada galti hogaya (Guys I made a big mistake.) Genuinely it was a mistake. I realized only when the episode came out. There were so many things happening that when I put this 11, I forgot the wicketkeeper. Luckily Rahul Dravid was there and everybody thought I was going with a part-time wicketkeeper. But genuinely I didn't think Rahul Dravid as a wicketkeeper. Can you believe being a wicketkeeper, I forgot to have a wicketkeeper? It is a blunder," Karthik said while speaking on Cricbuzz.
Hailed him as one of the greatest cricketers ever, Karthik said Dhoni is a lock in any format and he would have Dhoni at No. 7 in the line-up. He also named Dhoni as the captain of his dream Indian team.
"And for me, let's be clear. Thala Dhoni is a lock in any format, not only in India. I feel he is one of the greatest cricketers to have ever played the game. If I had to redo that team, one change I would do is, Thala Dhoni in at 7. And he will be the captain of any Indian team that is there," Karthik added.
Dinesh Karthik's all-time India XI:
Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Anil Kumble, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Jasprit Bumrah