With the Indian Premier League (IPL) postponed for an indefinite period in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the future of the many players hang by the wire. One such name is Dinesh Karthik, who faced the axe after India’s ouster from the ICC World Cup 2019 for unknown reasons.

The Men in Blues are still far away from fixing their wicket-keeper slot with the ICC T20 World Cup later this year. KL Rahul had briefly taken over that position after some match-winning performances with the bat in the series against New Zealand. The opportunity came to him after an out-of-form Rishabh Pant injured himself. However, performances in the IPL could’ve tilted scales elsewhere too.

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The wicket-keeper from Kerala Sanju Samson too has warmed the benches of the national side lately and MS Dhoni hasn’t brought down curtains on his career. And completing the long list of probables is out-of-favour Dinesh Karthik. The veteran Tamil Nadu cricketer isn’t too happy to sit out in the T20Is and hopes to make a comeback.

“It does hurt, no doubt about that. I have always had this burning desire to play for my country and it hasn’t diminished one bit,” Karthik told PTI. “My record in T20s has been good. A big tournament like the World Cup did not go exactly as per the plan. I could understand the one day bit (being dropped from ODIs) but even now I would like to think that I stand a good chance in returning to the T20 side,” he added. 

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Dinesh Karthik, whose career got a headstart after the Nidahas Trophy heroics averages 33.25 and has a strike rate of 143.52 to boast of in T20Is. And the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper is no mood to rule himself out of contention for the ICC T20 World Cup to follow.

“There is a T20 World Cup round the corner and I know if I do well, I stand a good chance of making the team. I know it gets tougher every time. The team is getting stronger all the time and it is great to watch. But it is my duty to get better as a player and the rest will take care of itself,” he concluded. 

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