Dinesh Karthik, who was selected for India's World Cup 2019 squad recently, has made several comebacks into the team since his international cricket debut 15 years ago. The Chennai-born skipper of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders was one of the several wicketkeepers who were tried during Saurav Ganguly era but couldn't secure a permanent place in the side. "Good or bad, if people still talk about you it means that you have managed to stay relevant. It is extremely satisfying that I have managed to stay relevant all these years and still trying hard to be part of the team," Karthik told news agency PTI recently, before leaving for England. As he celebrates his 34th birthday today, here is a look at interesting facts related to the determined wicketkeeper-batsman.
1: Dinesh Karthik made his debut even before MS Dhoni but has never had any qualms in accepting that he was replaced by a better player.
2: Just before his selection for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, Dinesh Karthik was dropped from the ODI series against Australia. Karthik's father Krishna Kumar played first-division cricket in Chennai in his youth, but opted for academics due to pressure from his parents. Krishna ensured that his son would not face the same fate. He told Cricinfo, "I was always made to put my studies ahead of my cricket. I didn't want my son to suffer the same way."
3: Luckily, as Kumar shifted to Kuwait for a couple of years, the father-son duo would watch every game of English County cricket on TV and "simultaneously simulate those match situations in the backyard."
4: Kumar would also give Karthik throw-downs with a seasoned ball to prepare him for international cricket.
5: Dinesh Karthik became India's first T20 Man of the Match awardee during the team's first ever T20I against South Africa in 2006-07.
6: Dinesh Karthik was born on 1st June 1985 into a Telugu family. His actual name is Krishnakumar Dinesh Karthik but teammates lovingly call him DK.
7: In 2014's IPL, Dinesh Karthik was the second-highest paid player as Delhi Daredevils bought him for 12.5 crores. He remained the second-highest paid cricketer the next season, bought by RCB for 10.5 crores.
8: Dinesh Karthik has played for 6 IPL teams so far: Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujrat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders.
9: He took part in the reality dance show, Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina, opposite Nigar Khan.
10: Dinesh Karthik dropped the catch of England batsman Michael Vaughan during his international debut match against England in 2004. However, he was responsible for a brilliant stump out later in the same match.
