Former Indian national cricket team batsman and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik recently came to Virat Kohli’s defence when asked about the modern batsman’s failure in the first Test against Bangladesh.
Kohli made his return to Test cricket in Chennai against Bangladesh after missing the five-match home Test series against England earlier in the year due to the birth of his second child.
Virat Kohli’s comeback was not a good one as he failed to score big runs with the bat. The right-handed batsman scored just 6 runs off 6 balls before being dismissed by Hasan Mahmud in the first innings.
In the second innings, he looked better but could not play a big knock as he was caught LBW by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Virat Kohli got out after scoring 17 runs in 37 balls.
Ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh, Virat Kohli played the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka where he looked abysmal against the bowlers and recorded scores of 24, 14 and 20. His recent slump in form has many worried, especially with the big season coming up. However, Dinesh Karthik is not one of them.
In a video shared on Cricbuzz, a fan asked Dinesh Karthik if Kohli’s recent performances were an “eye-opener for him and to work on some things.”
The former wicket-keeper and batsman silenced fans with an epic reply, saying that Kohli is a champion batsman and he will recover soon. He stated:
“Why? Two innings and he’s gone, sir? Two innings? He’s Virat Kohli, he’s completely fine. One Test doesn’t change anything in his life. He’s a champion. Big matches, who do you want? Virat Kohli! He’s the king.”
Dinesh Karthik announces his prediction for India’s starting XI for the Kanpur Test
In the same video, Dinesh Karthik was asked about his prediction for India’s starting XI for the second Test in Kanpur. Karthik responded by saying that India will have to choose between Akash Deep and Kuldeep Yadav considering the conditions on offer. He said:
“I have to go to Kanpur to see the pitch and tell you how it will be. But I have a feeling. It’s just a decision you have to take. Will it be Akash Deep or Kuldeep? The pitch will decide that. When I get closer to Kanpur, I will tweet it for you.”
While speaking about the possibility of Ravichandran Ashwin playing Tests abroad after his heroics in the Chennai Test, Dinesh Karthik said that preference would always be given to Ravindra Jadeja if he can play only one bowler because he is a better batsman. He explained:
“There is no doubt that Ashwin will play Test matches abroad. But what happens is that if there is an extremely green pitch, they have to play with only one bowler.
“The fact that a lot of right-handed bowlers could be in the opponent’s starting XI. And add to that the fact that Jadeja, at the moment, is also the best batsman. This is all a bet in Jadeja’s favour. That’s the situation. But I have no doubt that he will play most of the Test matches. Until he plays, it doesn’t matter where in the world.”