It has been almost 11 years since Dinesh Karthik made his Test debut for India and come July 14, the wicketkeeper-batsman will don the whites of his country once again for only the 24th time.
Though Karthik’s career promised so much in 2007, that joy was only short lived as he was consigned into fringes the international cricket following a string of poor performances.
As fate would have it, an injury to first-choice wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha ahead of Afghanistan’s inaugural Test has given the 33-year-old another shot at the red-ball format.
With an extensive tour of England coming up shortly for the Indians, the Afghanistan Test is a great chance for Karthik to work himself back into the reckoning in the five-day format.
Though Saha remains the No1 choice for England for now, we take a look at a few reasons why Karthik could still play a big part on the tour.
MAN IN-FORM
The loss in form post 2007 saw the Tamil Nadu-born man be reduced to fleeting appearances for India and it took a sensational last-ball rescue act in the Nidahas T20 tri-series final earlier this year to catapult Karthik back into the team’s limited-overs setup.
After consistent performances in the domestic circuit, Karthik was elevated to the captain’s seat at Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL this year where he led the side to a respectable third-place finish while chipping in with valuable contributions with the bat.
Only few months ago, Parthiv Patel was ahead in the pecking order when it came to India’s Test reserve wicket-keepers but Karthik’s comeback has seen him leapfrog the fellow 33-year-old. Karthik is now a shoe-in for the reserve wicketkeeper’s role for the tour of England.
Karthik has overtaken Pathiv Patel in the pecking order.
TOP-SCORER IN INDIA’S LAST SERIES WIN ON ENGLISH SOIL
The three-match series in 2007 was India’s last Test series win on English soil. In that series, Karthik started off with five on his debut at Lord’s but followed it up with a match-saving 60 in the second innings.
His 77-run first-innings knock in the second Test laid the foundation for India’s famous seven-wicket win. In the third Test at The Oval, Karthik was impressive once again as he racked up another 91 runs in the first-innings. The game ultimately ended in a draw sealing a series win for the Rahul Dravid-led team.
While it has been more than a decade since that series, Karthik has shown that he can succeed in the seaming conditions of England.
A young Karthik surpassed expectations in England in 2007.
SPECIALIST BATSMAN?
With Saha likely to take the wicket-keeping gloves for India in England, Karthik might have to bide his time before he gets a chance. However, this being a five-match Test series, there is every chance of one of India’s front-line batsmen finding himself out of form.
One of those batsmen could be Cheteswar Pujara who has had a miserable time during his red-ball county stint with Yorkshire.
Also, with the Test series being preceded by the T20Is and ODIs, Karthik could make a case for himself if he performs there. As we have seen with Rohit Sharma in the tour of South Africa, skipper Virat Kohli is not averse to taking limited-overs form into account while setting up his Test side.
Loss of form or injury to India’s main batsmen can open the doors for Karthik.
