The Indian cricket fans surely have bitter memories of the Champions Trophy 2017, as the Men in Blue lost the final to arch-rivals Pakistan. But for former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, the tournament remains one of gratitude towards the then India captain Virat Kohli.
After playing his last ODI in 2014, Karthik was searching for a way back into the Indian dressing room. During IPL 2017, Manish Pandey, who was initially named in the Champions Trophy squad, suffered a left-side strain that ruled him out of the multi-nation tournament in the UK.
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That’s when Kohli decided to bring Karthik into the squad as Pandey’s replacement. The wicketkeeper-batter was back in the set-up after three
years. Although he didn’t get a game in the Champions Trophy, he still considers it a heartfelt gesture from Kohli.
“Virat called me and said, ‘You’re doing really well.’ And then on the physiotherapy table with Basu sir, he said, ‘Dinesh is playing really well, he should be a part of the Champions Trophy squad,’” DK recalled during a podcast with Nipun Marya, CEO, iQOO.
“An endorsement like that, from a person like him, means a lot,” he added.
The bond between Kohli and Karthik strengthened further in 2022 when they both shared the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dressing room in the IPL. The same year, Karthik was picked for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
Kohli once again voiced his support publicly, backing DK for India’s T20 World Cup squad.
“He told the world through the media that what I was doing was special and that I should be in the World Cup team. For someone like Virat to acknowledge my journey that meant everything,” he recalled.
When Dinesh recently received an offer to step into coaching, one of the first people he told was Virat.
“He said, ‘I believe you should take it up, because I believe you would be a good coach,” DK recalled. “His words mean a lot to me because he sees things from a very different lens. We have different personalities, but there is a lot of mutual respect between us.”
What makes the friendship especially meaningful for him, however, is the personal bond their families now share.
“When I go to England, I end up spending a lot of time with Virat, Anushka, and their family,” Karthik shared.
“Today I see my son interacting with his daughter, Vamika, when we spend time together during IPL and beyond. It’s a nice feeling. It’s something I hold very close to my heart, and I wish it remains that way for a long time,” he added.
