Dinesh Karthik reveals how he tried to adopt different roles after MS Dhoni made his India debut

Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Dinesh Karthik has revealed that he tried to adopt different roles while playing for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit after MS Dhoni made his debut with the national team. With Dhoni securing his place in the team across all formats as a captain, wicket-keepers like Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel and Wriddhiman Saha could not get regular chances.

Karthik said he tried to grab his opportunities in the best possible manner and used to ask for different roles in domestic cricket to get back into the Indian team.

Dinesh Karthik said on India Today’s Conclave South 2025, “When someone like that comes along, you need to look inward and ask yourself: What can I do to bring out the best version of myself? So I became a bit like a chameleon. If there was an opening slot available, I’d go back to Tamil Nadu and ask, Sir, can I open? I’d score runs as an opener just to find a place in the team.

“Similarly, if there was a vacancy in the middle order for India, I’d request to bat there — always looking for ways to break into the side. But my real challenge was holding on to that spot. I put so much pressure on myself that, at times, I didn’t do justice to what was really needed.”

Meanwhile, Dhoni is a hard hitter of the ball and is known to hit sixes from the get-go. Karthik recalled how the former Indian captain was likened with legendary West Indies’ all-rounder Gary Sobers when he was rising through the ranks.

“I hadn’t seen him play much. But during that A series in Kenya, everyone was talking about one player, because he brought something new. The power with which he hit the ball was something people said they hadn’t seen before. Some were even comparing him to Gary Sobers, known for those massive sixes. MS Dhoni had a very different technique, but he was hitting the ball as hard as anyone people had ever witnessed. That was the buzz at the time.”

MS Dhoni, 44, is still playing in the IPL.