MS Dhoni did not find a place in Dinesh Karthik’s all-time starting XI for India. However, on his part, Dinesh Karthik said that it was a mistake on his part and apologised for it.
Last week, he did this exercise for Cricbuzz and forgot to add MS Dhoni to his list. The former wicket-keeper left fans stunned with his decision. However, in the latest episode of his show, he tried to explain why it happened and said that it was a genuine mistake on his part and that he had forgotten to add a wicket-keeper while making the squad.
Karthik said that many assumed that he had picked Rahul Dravid as his wicketkeeper in the team. However, the former Indian batsman-wicketkeeper apologised time and again for not including MS Dhoni in his starting XI.
It was a mistake: Dinesh Karthik on MS Dhoni’s exclusion from his India XI
“Bhai log. Bada galti hogaya (Guys, I made a big mistake). Honestly, it was a mistake. I realised it only when the episode came out. So much happened that when I picked this 11, I forgot the wicket-keeper. Luckily, Rahul Dravid was there and everyone thought I was going to pick a part-time wicket-keeper. But honestly, I didn’t think Rahul Dravid was a wicket-keeper. Can you believe that being a wicket-keeper, I forgot to get a wicket-keeper? It’s a mistake,” Karthik said.
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DK went on to say that Dhoni is a guaranteed selection in any Indian XI and if he had a chance to repeat the exercise, he would have Dhoni at number 7 and captain the team.
“And for me, let’s be clear. Thala Dhoni is a lock in any format, not just in India. I feel he is one of the best cricketers to have ever played the game. If I were to remake that team, one change I would make would be to put Thala Dhoni at No. 7. And he will be the captain of any Indian team that is there,” Karthik said.
Speaking about Dinesh Karthik, he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after IPL 2024. He spoke highly of his RCB days and will join the franchise as a batting coach and mentor from the upcoming season.
Talking about MS Dhoni, if reports are to be believed, CSK is trying to get him to play another season by naming him as a non-international player. Several sources say that Dhoni will remain a non-international player as he has retired from international cricket for over five years.
However, there is nothing official on the matter yet. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has denied such claims. Meanwhile, the BCCI could re-implement the rule that allows franchises to keep retired international players as non-international players, a policy that was scrapped in 2021.
Dinesh Karthik’s best XI for India without MS Dhoni
Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Anil Kumble, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan and Jasprit Bumrah
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