Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik picked his best all-format India XI last week. He has been in constant discussion about this team. Surprisingly, Dinesh Karthik did not mention MS Dhoni in this team. Karthik’s decision to ignore Dhoni was a surprise for cricket fans around the world. Dinesh Karthik was also criticized a lot for not including MS Dhoni.
Now Dinesh Karthik has told why he did not include MS Dhoni in his team. Now, in the latest episode of HeyCB with DK, Dinesh Karthik told the reason why he did not include Dhoni. In his show, Dinesh Karthik said that he had completely forgotten Dhoni’s name while selecting the team. He said that he realized it only after the video went live. He has also apologized to the fans with folded hands for not including 43-year-old Dhoni in the team. He said that Dhoni is one of the greatest cricketers to have played this game.
He said, “Bhai log badi galti kar gaye. Frankly, it was a mistake. I realised it when this episode came out. So many things were happening that when I made this team of 11, I actually forgot the wicketkeeper. Fortunately, Rahul Dravid was there, so everyone thought that I have kept a part-time wicketkeeper. But actually, I did not think of Rahul Dravid as a wicketkeeper.” According to Karthik, who will announce retirement in May 2024, Dhoni is definitely a part of the India All Time 11 team and he will also captain the team.
“Can you believe it? Being a wicketkeeper, I forgot to add wicketkeeper. It’s a big mistake. I couldn’t have made that big a mistake. And for me, let’s make it very, very clear. Thala Dhoni is ready to play any format. Not just in India, I believe he is one of the greatest cricketers to have ever played the game. I truly believe that.”
He said, “If I had to do it again, this is the only change I would make. Thala Dhoni will be at No. 7 and he will be the captain of any Indian team. There is no doubt about that.” In his all-time India XI, Karthik had picked Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag as openers and Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli at No. 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja were the two all-rounders, followed by two spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Anil Kumble and two fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Zaheer Khan.
