'Dhoni mania was so big that you had to pick him…He replaced me in all formats', - Dinesh Karthik

India wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik opened up his competition with former India captain MS Dhoni for a place in the Indian lineup. They both made their debuts for the national team back in 2004. Dhoni captained the side for over a decade and represented India in 538 games across all formats. Karthik remained in and out of the Indian team and struggled to find a place.

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"I made my debut before him. We went together on an India A tour and from there I got picked to the Indian team," Karthik shared on the RCB podcast. "That was the first time I played a match together with him. I did so well that they picked me for the Indian team. From there, they went on another trip, there was an ODI tournament where he just blasted it there with boundaries and sixes. The world was still getting used to something like that, it was that sort of thing."

Karthik in an RCB Podcast about his Career and Dhoni's Excellence:

He said that People liked Dhoni already as there was nobody like him. They said he's a special player. "Obviously, I came to the Indian team, but by then the Dhoni mania was so big that you had to pick him. He then replaced me in all formats and he did very well. At the end of the day, it is all about taking opportunities." - he added.

"I was chasing excellence. I was constantly on the path of becoming the best batter in the world. Dhoni was there, but he wasn't there – that wasn't my lookout. He was doing very well for himself. I knew that he had settled into all teams. And he made no mistake. They sent him up an order, he got a hundred in ODI. He then went to Test cricket and scored 85. He kept brilliantly. Most importantly, he became a brand overnight. People were after him. He was huge right from the outset. I remained the understudy but I was always on the lookout for opportunities," he said.

Karthik has embraced the Indian colors for 180 matches across formats and marked his comeback for the national side in the shortest format in 2022, continuing his form with the bat for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022. He scored 330 runs at a strike rate of 183. That's how Karthik earned a reputation as a finisher, a role that was glorified by Dhoni over the years in IPL for CSK as well as Indian colors.