Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik, who has been snubbed from the national cricket team for the five-match ODI series against Australia, does not “enjoy setting goals”. Instead of setting goals, Karthik believes in giving everything every time he faces an opponent.
Karthik has been widely criticised by cricket fans and experts alike after he refused to take a single off the third ball of the final over during a T20 run-chase against New Zealand which India eventually lost. It has also been said that Karthik lost his position to Rishabh Pant in the ODI squad ahead of World Cup because of that.
When Karthik was asked about his personal goals the wicket-keeper batsman said, “I am not somebody who sets goals per se. For some strange reason, it is not something I have enjoyed doing. Though I think if we can go out there and put our best foot on the park and the best we can I will be very happy.”
Kolkata will kick-start their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 24 at the Eden Gardens in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2019).
There is a slight possibility that IPL matches can be shifted out of Eden Gardens as the election dates are yet to be announced and when he was asked this question, the KKR skipper said that he will miss the vibes from the crowd if such a situation arises.
“I will miss Kolkata (in such a situation) because there is a certain vibe, certain energy when we play at the Eden. Playing in front of 60,000 fans cheering for you makes a massive difference,” Karthik said on the sidelines of the Mayor’s Cup.
Karthik also feels it will be a different KKR team in the upcoming season with reinforcements like Carlos Brathwaite and Harry Gurney.
“We are slightly different from the team we had last year so we are really looking forward to it as a team. We have realized what we lacked last year and we have added resources accordingly so we are a better-rounded team this year,” he added.