Even though Team India has done a reasonably good job in the 50-over format since World Cup 2015, the conundrum concerning the No. 4 spot still continues.

With no international assignment before the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, the ongoing IPL becomes important for the Indian players to strengthen their claims for the key batting slot.

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik, who is one of the contenders for the No. 4 spot, however, is not thinking too much about the 50-over showpiece event and instead focusing on the Indian Premier League.

“The lesser I think about the World Cup, the better for me. Every IPL is important for a player like me. This year’s IPL is also important like every year’s,” Karthik told reporters on the eve of KKR’s opening IPL fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.

“The most important thing for me is to do well for KKR and the team to do well. I am sure the World Cup will take care of itself for me,” he added.

Asked whether he would look to play the finisher’s role for his side, KKR captain said: “It depends on the situation. There are a lot of games last year where I ended up batting in the 17th over. Having experience is good, if I get an opportunity to play more overs, that will be a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills.”

KKR will start IPL 2019 campaign against the Sunrisers Hyderabad – the team which had eliminated them in the second qualifier last year with Afghan spinner Rashid Khan claiming 3 for 19 in his four overs.

“He is special bowler in T20s. We will do our best to tackle him within the game plan that we have,” Karthik said about Rashid.

“I think having said that, they have a very good bowling attack and it’s going to be a very interesting game with two good teams playing against each other.”

Karthik also praised the Eden Gardens deck.

“The soil has changed a bit and that has provided a lot more pace and bounce. That’s something we have enjoyed as a team and we have embraced it. It’s one of the better wickets going around with lot of pace and bounce. Credit to the curator and Dada (Sourav Ganguly) for having such a sporting wicket throughout the year,” he concluded.

(With PTI inputs)