Birthday Special: DK then, and DK now

Itâ??s nearly 14 years since he first played for India, but KKRâ??s skipper took up a new responsibility to lead the 2-time IPL champions.Dinesh Karthik was part of Indiaâ??s first ever T20I squad back in 2006.

Dinesh Karthik has turned 33 today, and the way heâ??s going about his cricket hasnâ??t changed much from the days he was playing cricket with his father, who introduced him to this game when he was a kid. Itâ??s nearly 14 years since he first played for India, but KKRâ??s skipper took up a new responsibility to lead the 2-time IPL champions. He excelled in his job with a new franchise and young players. 

On his birthday, letâ??s glance through some of those throwbacks which time and again makes us feel; nothing has changed. Neither his speed behind the wickets nor his batting prowess.

Speed of light: DK behind the wicketsOur Skipper earned his maiden call for India against England back in 2004, and was quick to leave an impression on everyone. No one can forget that dismissal of Michael Vaughan. DK was airborne and lightning fast to get the stumps off the ground to dismiss then England Skipper. Fast forward to 14 years, DK recreated the magic in IPL 2018 not once but twice. 

The first one to dismiss his opponent number, Ajinkya Rahane at Jaipur and the other one to send Wriddhiman Saha back to the dugout in Qualifier 2. He absolutely left us jaw-dropping with such acrobatic work behind the stumps. 

Always a saviourDK was playing only his 2nd first class match as his team - Tamil Nadu were up against Uttar Pradesh. He top-scored with a fine unbeaten knock of 88 runs. He rescued TN from the jaws of defeat and forced UP to settle with a draw. Just one wicket in hand while batting fourth, talk about fine margins.

498 runs in 16 matches, 6 not outs, with an average of 49. 80 and a fantastic strike-rate of 147.77, tells the entire story. Dinesh Karthik has played a major part in KKRâ??s victories in this IPL.

First and the last and many more to come

Itâ??s an honour to represent your country in any sports. But thatâ??s first of a kind & you feel a bit more than proud. And when you make your presence count, you end up living that moment for years to come. Dinesh Karthik was part of Indiaâ??s first ever T20I squad back in 2006. He won the match for us with his unbeaten 31 runs knock, and won the first Man of the Match award for India in the shorter format.

He also won the last Man of the Match award for India in a T20I, when he played a match-saving knock to take the â??Men In Blueâ?? to victory from an impossible situation against Bangladesh at Nidahas Trophy final. We are so sure thereâ??s more to come from DK in days to come. 

Source: