Gloves or not, he throws himself to stop the ball. Remember that stumping of Michael Vaughan at Lord's in 2004? It was his debut. Nine years have gone by but Dinesh Karthik is agile as ever. On a high after being bought by Delhi Daredevils for a whopping Rs.12.5 crore — the recent player auction in Bangalore — the wicketkeeper-batsman says "this is going to be a good IPL".
"I was definitely very surprised but being a part of a winning team (Mumbai Indians) helps a lot. It probably helps you as a player," Karthik told dna after his team, India Cements, thrashed FCI in the their BCCI Corporate Trophy opener at the Bandra-Kurla Complex ground here on Sunday.
"It just felt good when I came to know that I was the second-highest paid player. That's about it. But it is really nice to know that a lot of franchises were bidding for me," he added.
Karthik is happy to be back with his former team. He had represented Daredevils in the first three editions of the high-profile tournament before joining Kings XI Punjab and then Mumbai Indians. "Delhi Daredevils is a new unit, totally different from the one I played for before. The entire management, coaches, support staff is new and I am looking forward to play for them. Even the auction was interesting; a lot of domestic players got picked. This will be a good IPL," said the 28-year-old who scored 510 runs for Mumbai last season.
So, is he looking forward to play with Kevin Pietersen? "It is going to be an honour to share the dressing room with him. He is a legend. It is going to be great few months with him."
Karthik who is leading India Cements in the Corporate Trophy, is happy to be playing domestic cricket and believes it is only going to warm him up before the big games. "It is a good warm-up. It is important to deliver for your club and play well at the basic level where you started your cricket," he asserted.
The Tamil Nadu lad, who was not picked for the World T20 to be held in Bangladesh next month, is hopeful of making a comeback. "It doesn't matter much. These things are up to the selectors but I am confident that I will do well and get back in the team," he said.
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