New Delhi: It could well be the last of his innumerable comebacks but Dinesh Karthik is not losing sleep over it as he intends to build on the recent gains in international cricket by following the timely advice of India coach Ravi Shastri.
With young wicketkeeper-batsmen like Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant waiting in the wings and veteran Parthiv Patel still knocking on the selectors’ door, Karthik knows he has to keep performing, albeit only as a specialist batsman with M.S. Dhoni still the number one choice in limited overs cricket.
On current form, he could be the stable number four batsman India are looking for in ODIs. “May be it is (the last of comebacks) but I have not looked at it that way,” Karthik said.
“If you start thinking on those lines (future in the team), you put extra pressure on yourself. I am satisfied with the way I batted in ODI series against New Zealand and would aim to do the same whenever I get the next opportunity.”
With the ODIs against Sri Lanka coming up next month, Karthik has joined a preparatory camp at the NCA to work more on his fitness and deal with a few niggles at the same time.
Having played his last Test more than seven years ago, Karthik has not given up on the wearing whites again and is determined to make the cut for the upcoming South Africa tour as the second wicketkeeper.
Karthik is aware that the fitness standards are a lot higher from the time he made his India debut. However, he doesn’t understand the hype around the Yo-Yo test which has to be cleared to play for the country. The minimum score required to pass the test is 16.1. “The current benchmark is pretty achievable. Anybody who puts in a bit of effort can reach that mark. There is nothing earth shattering about it. It only starts getting tougher from 17.5 onwards. There has been a lot of hue and cry about it but it is pretty achievable for most sportsmen,” he said.
“Regarding my batting, I did have a long chat with Ravi bhai. He was happy with my batting against New Zealand but he said there are still areas where I can improve upon, especially maintaining the tempo of the innings since he feels I have all the shots.”
