Veteran campaigner Dinesh Karthik is having a brilliant domestic season for Tamil Nadu. The 34-year-old recently led his state team to two successive finals in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (List A event) and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20 event) and is confident of a positive showing in the marquee First-Class tournament – the Ranji Trophy as well.
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Tamil Nadu begins its Ranji Trophy 2019-20 campaign against arch-rivals Karnataka in Dindigul from Monday (December 9).
“We are a very good team and I think we can’t get a more focussed team than we have on the park now. We are heading in the right direction,” Karthik quoted as saying by Sportstar.
Tamil Nadu coped a heartbreaking 1-run defeat at the hands of Karnataka in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final last week.
Needing 13 in the final over, Ravichandran Ashwin smashed Krishnappa Gowtham for two successive fours to bring the equation down to just five runs off the last four balls. However, there was another twist in the tale as Ashwin failed to connect the next two balls and scored only 1 run from it. In the penultimate delivery, Vijay Shankar got run out while going for an impossible second run and then Gowtham conceded just a single on the final ball to hand Karnataka a thrilling victory.
Reflecting on that match, Karthik said: “It was a very hard loss. At four balls five to win, it was our game to lose. If we had found a way to win, it would have been phenomenal for our cricket. Having said that, one thing we can learn is the ability to fight and the discipline we have shown. What we can take into Ranji is the ability to handle pressure because, after the first game in Super League, every game was a knockout one for us.”
Despite the availability of veterans like Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay and Karthik, Tamil Nadu selectors have appointed all-rounder Vijay Shankar as captain for this season's Ranji Trophy while top-order batsman Baba Aparajith has been named the vice-captain.
Explaining his decision of not leading the Ranji Trophy side, Karthik said: “I believe for so long we have had various captains, so now it is time to have someone young who can take [Tamil Nadu] forward. I think the captaincy should not be for just this year but for the next two-three years. We have a lot of young talents and it is important for these players to start thinking what’s the way [Tamil Nadu] should play to try to win the Ranji Trophy. If we give time, they will be able to do that.”
When enquired about his personal career and the current phase he is in, Dinesh Karthik remarked, “I enjoy playing for [Tamil Nadu] and the best I can do is to play well for my State and try and win as many matches. Then when I go to the IPL, do well there and if and when I get selected for India, that will be the ultimate one. Everybody strives to play for that elusive team. I am trying very hard to be playing for Team India.”
(Inputs from Sportstar)
