Dinesh Karthik may have spent his career in M S Dhoni's shadow but his contributions to Indian cricket, especially in the IPL, deserve a legacy all his own, asserts Sudhir Bisht.
Dinesh Karthik (DK) has been the quintessential Number 2 wicket-keeper batsman of Indian cricket.
DK, for most part of his best playing days, had to live in the shadow of the great Mahendra Sing Dhoni. And in the post-Dhoni era, DK was outdone by Rishabh Pant.
However, in domestic cricket, DK remained one of the most sought-after wicket-keeper-batsmen and eventually found his calling as one of the most sought-after stars of the IPL.
He modelled himself as a finisher in the shortest version of the game and even though he hasn't been so lucky on the T20 international stage, he did get his hour of glory in the Nidahas T20 tri-series final in Colombo when he scored an 8-ball 29 to win the Nidahas Trophy for India in 2018. That was his finest hour in T20 internationals.
In the IPL DK has been more fortunate as he got greater opportunities to showcase his skills.
In 2014 he was lapped up by the then Delhi Daredevils for a whooping Rs 12.50 crores. In the IPL 2013 he scored 510 runs at a strike-rate of 124.
In 2018, he captained the Kolkata Knight Riders and scored 498 runs with a strike rate of 147. His best came in 2022 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore when his strike rate was a whooping 183.
He was hailed as the best finisher of the tournament and that earned him a recall to the Indian team.
That stint didn't last long and DK faded into oblivion as far his international career was concerned.
Meanwhile in the IPL, DK commanded a great price all along, and he represented six teams in 17 IPL editions.
Yet, his retirement from the IPL has been sans any fanfare. I am a bit surprised by this unemotional sendoff to DK by cricket fans.
There is no doubt in my mind that any wicket-keeping batsman always runs the risk of being compared to the monarch of Indian white ball cricket, the Thala (leader) to his multitudes of Chennai Super Kings fans.
MSD is hero-worshipped in Tamil Nadu and CSK has found great support all over India primarily because of the fact that its Thala is MSD. And yet CSK never hired its original Thala, DK, to play for the club.
DK has rendered enormous service to his home state of Tamil Nadu. He played more than 100 Ranji games for his home state and scored 28 centuries for TN and more than 6,000 runs in Ranji Trophy matches.
Under DK's leadership Tamil Nadu won the inaugural Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy in the 2006-2007 season, and yet DK never got the opportunity to play for CSK in front of his home crowd.
In fact, DK has been somewhat disadvantaged due to the huge fan following that MSD has enjoyed ever since he arrived on the cricketing scene, with his long flowing hair, shy smile and monk-like demeanour.
However, my suggestion is that DK was never far behind MSD when it came to just their strengths as pure players, at least in the IPL arena.
I think it is Dhoni's reputation of being Captain Cool that has built an aura of zero competition around him.
MSD is unmatched as a captain. He thinks fast, remains composed and executes split-second decisions with aplomb.
His match strategies are often shrouded in inscrutabilities and are repeatedly a source of discomfort for the rival teams.
Dhoni's judgement of each and every delivery as he stands close to the stumps is fabled.
The Decision Review System is often called the Dhoni Review System as he very rarely goes wrong with his reviews.
With a 59% win record in the IPL as a captain, it is not surprising that even though he wasn't the skipper of the CSK this year till last week when Ruturaj Gaikwad had to bow out with injury, the cameras often zoom on him as if he is still in charge.
CSK fans applaud whenever the club's lower order batters fall, because it hastens the process of MSD's arrival on the crease. Incredible, isn't it?
I too am a Dhoni fan. He has achieved cult status as a T20 captain and wicket-keeping batsman.
There is belief among his legions of fans that with Dhoni behind the stumps, every bowler has a chance of getting a wicket or bowling a dot ball if he follows MSD's instructions. And as long as Dhoni is batting, he can produce that helicopter shot at will, sending every delivery out of the park. He is nothing less than 'Hanuman' to the faithful CSK fans.
The critics are not far behind the fans when it come to eulogising Dhoni. Any T20 all-time India XI is incomplete without Dhoni being a part of the team.
Most cricket pundits want him to lead the fictional all-time India XI. His captaincy track record is scintillating, with India winning 41 out of 72 T20I matches.
Under Dhoni's captaincy, India won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa.
Every cricket-loving Indian still remembers how Dhoni surprised everyone with his sharp cricketing acumen in the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan.
In the last stages of the final, Pakistan needed just six runs off the last over and Dhoni, India's captain, tossed the ball over to a relatively inexperienced Joginder Sharma.
Everyone was intrigued by this decision but Joginder took Misbah-Ul-Haq's wicket with his third ball to ensure a 5-run win for India.
The gamble of handing over the ball to the slowest fast bowler of the team won the day for India.
MSD has long retired from international cricket but his love affair with CSK has endured and even grown stronger with each passing year.
While MSD still dons CSK colours his fellow traveller and competitor DK has quietly slipped into the role of batting coach and mentor with RCB.
DK did win the IPL with Mumbai Indians in 2013. DK has played for six different IPL teams over the years.
He started off with the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and played for them in the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014 editions.
He represented Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2011. He became a part of Mumbai Indians in 2012 and 2013 (winning the IPL in 2013).
DK also represented Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2015, 2022, 2023 and 2024. In between he also played for Gujarat Lions: 2016, 2017 and for Kolkata Knight Riders: 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
A study of the performances of MSD and DK in the last year's IPL points to the fact that either DK called it quits too soon or MSD is delaying his IPL retirement for reasons that are beyond cricket.
In IPL 2024,, Karthik's strike rate, the most important parameter in T20, was 142.85. MSD's strike rate was 135.42.
While DK was the chosen finisher for RCB, a very risky role, MSD had a more relaxed role as a lower-order batter.
I mean the burden of proving himself was constantly on the mind of DK whereas MSD played with a freer mind.
DK scored 237 runs at an average of 29.62 and Dhoni scored 198 runs at an average of 28.28.
I am not too much of a believer in averages for lower order batsmen in T20. It is the strike rate that matters.
So, in my assessment, DK had a better 2024 IPL than MSD and yet DK called it quits. The legend of MSD seems to be growing, even with his magic waning rather rapidly in IPL 2025.
A close comparison between DK and MSD's IPL careers reveal that both have been great assets for their teams in terms of their wicket-keeping skills.
Their sharp reflexes are matched by super athleticism over the years. It has been a matter of joy to watch both these great servants of the game dive to their right or their left with equal ease and take those marvellous catches to the delight of their fans.
MSD and DK are ranked the No 1 and No 2 wicket-keepers in the annals of IPL history.
The next one in the list of most dismissals behind the stumps is Wriddhiman Saha who is retired and trails DK by more than 60 dismissals.
DK is 17 dismissals behind MSD but since he is now retired, he can't catch up with his more illustrious rival.
A dismissal per match data reveals that Dhoni and Karthik are evenly matched in their wicket-keeping skills.
While DK may have been equally adept as a wicket-keeper, he isn't far behind MSD in terms of batting. The following table captures their performances over the years
From the above table, one can conclude that the strike rates of DK and MSD have been very close.
They both have an almost equal number of fifties and the big disparity in their average scores has been because of almost twice NOT OUT numbers in favour of MSD.
In T20 cricket, strike rate is the most important parameter for lower order batsmen.
DK and MSD both played as finishers in IPL and played well for their teams. It is just that MSD has been a cleaner hitter of the ball and has remained NOT OUT 98 times against DK's 50 times.
So, DK's record as a batter in IPL is almost as good as MSD's record and he can be reasonably proud of his contribution to IPL.
It is my strong view that had DK also played for just one IPL team, his overall numbers would have been much better than what he achieved over 17 years.
I wish Dinesh Karthik boundless success in his coaching career with RCB. He is someone who has already practiced successfully whatever he would now preach to the young guns at the club.
He has that much needed credibility factor to back him.
And I am hoping to hear his commentary in all the international cricketing events.
In terms of his knowledge of the game, he is second only to the great Sunil Gavaskar and in terms of command over English language, he is next only to that inimitable Harsha Bhogle.
Good Luck, DK!
Trivia: Joginder Sharma, the man who bowled the last over in the 2007 T20 World Cup final, is now posted as a deputy superintendent of police in Haryana. Last year he filed a case in the Punjab and Haryana high court against the government overlooking him for elevation to the Indian Police Service cadre. Here's wishing him luck, too!
Dr Sudhir Bisht, author and columnist, writes from New Delhi.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com