Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant in India’s dressing room© Instagram

Just a week after his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has called time on his career entirely. In a post on Saturday, Karthik confirmed the decision on social media, saying “I put my playing days behind me”. Karthik’s final game as a professional cricketer was the IPL 2024 eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals that his team lost. Karthik, the wicket-keeper batter, took off his gloves after. thematch and acknowledged the fans as RCB players went around the stadium thanking the spectators for their support.

Soon a moment to savour for the RCB fans unfolded, Virat Kohli embraced Karthik who seemed to be struggling to fight back his emotions.

As Karthik walked back towards the dressing room, Karthik received a guard of honour from the RCB players. 

While Karthik’s IPL retirement was already confirmed, he announced the decision to quit all forms of cricket as well. 

It’s official

Thanks

DK pic.twitter.com/NGVnxAJMQ3

— DK (@DineshKarthik) June 1, 2024

In his post, Karthik wrote: “I’ve been overwhelmed by the affection, support and love I have received in the last few days. My deepest gratitude and sincere thanks to all the fans who have made this feeling possible.

Having given it plenty of thought for sometime now, I have decided to move on from playing representative cricket. I officially announce my retirement and put my playing days behind me as I square up for the new challenges that lie ahead.

I’d like to thank all my coaches, captains, selectors, teammates and members of the support staff who have made this long journey pleasant and enjoyable. Among the millions that play the sport in our country, I consider myself among the lucky few to have had the chance to represent the nation, and luckier still to have earned the goodwill of so many fans and friends.

My parents have been pillars of strength and support over all these years, and I wouldn’t be what I am without their blessings. I also owe plenty to Dipika, herself a professional sportsperson who often put her career on hold to walk my journey with me.

Of course, to all the fans and followers of our great game, a massive thank you! Cricket and cricketers, wouldn’t be the same without your support and good wishes.”

Earlier, speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik had said that he had the physical ability to play for another three years but wasn’t mentally ready to continue his career as a professional cricketer.

Dinesh Karthik in action for RCB© AFP

Dinesh Karthik opened up on the times he played against Virat Kohli in IPL.© BCCI/IPL

Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull has revealed that he has been receiving death threats for his criticism of India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli. While the cricketer-turned-commentator has often labelled Kohli as the greatest batter of his generation, he also doesn’t shy away from criticising him whenever he needs to. As an observer of the game, Doull was one of several former players who had criticised Kohli for his batting strike rate during the initial phase of IPL 2024.

Kohli had also voiced his anger over the criticism of his batting approach, saying that he doesn’t like people to tell him how to construct him, considering that he has been winning games for over a decade.

While RCB’s wait for an IPL title continued, Kohli ended the season as the highest run-getter. He scored 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 154.7.

During a discussion, Kohli’s RCB teammate Dinesh Karthik suggested that the star batter thrives in such situations as he likes to prove his critics wrong.

“Virat Kohli would like to write a book on how he was this year. He started okay. Thanks to people like Simon (Doull) and a few others who really spurred him on. And you know that side of Virat Kohli. I think that he thrives on that. He is someone who inadvertently holds on to certain things to do well. He loves people proving wrong. Even though he might not come out and say this, it really fuels his passion. He is like a molten lava coming out. He is fiery and you don’t want to be anywhere close to him because you are going to get burnt for sure,” Karthik on Cricbuzz after the IPL 2024 final with Doull also part of the discussion.

Doull emphasised that nobody really cares when he praises Kohli, but a minor criticism of the star batter often leads to him getting death threats from the so called fans

“He’s too good to worry about what if he gets out. He’s too good a player, and that was always my point around him. I said a thousand great things about Virat Kohli, but I say one thing that might be slightly negative or construed to be negative, I get death threats,” Doull pointed out during the same discussion.

Doull further suggested that he has nothing personal against Kohli as he often speaks to him before or after the games.

“It’s never personal. We’ve had great conversations. I’ve interviewed him at tosses, we’ve talked after games, there’s never been an issue. It’s the same thing I said about Babar and talked to him after the game. He also told me that the coach had said that same to him,” he added.

Karthik condemned the death threats against Doull, urging the Indian fans to find the difference between constructive criticism and someone taking personal jibes.

“That’s pretty sad to hear though…You go to basketball, football games and you see pundits speak about the game. I think the Indian fans should really find out the difference between people taking it personally or people talking about his cricketing side. Virat really appreaciates that,” Karthik asserted.

Premier India batter Virat Kohli has paid tribute to Dinesh Karthik after his retirement at the end of RCB’s IPL campaign, describing the veteran wicketkeeper-batter as a wise and honest person who lifted his spirits during a phase of struggle in the league’s 2022 season. The 38-year-old, who joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru from Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022 for his second stint after 2015, played his last IPL match on Wednesday when RCB were eliminated by Rajasthan Royals in the playoffs.

“Off the field, I have had some really nice and interesting conversations with him. He is a wise man, and has great knowledge about a lot of things, not just cricket,” Kohli said in a special tribute video posted by RCB.

The little over 11-minute video features tributes from Karthik’s wife, Dipika Pallikal Karthik; his personal mentor, Abhishek Nayar; RCB assistant coach, Malolan Rangarajan; and fitness coach, Shanker Basu.

Kohli recalled the 2022 season when he averaged just 22.73 scoring 341 runs from 16 matches as they missed the final bus losing to Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with him. Even in that phase in 2022 when I did not have a great IPL season, I was really struggling for confidence,” he recalled.

“He sat me down a couple of times and just gave me a very honest explanation of how he saw things and maybe I am not able to see them myself,” Kohli added.

A veteran campaigner in the IPL, Karthik has been involved in all the editions of the league since the inaugural 2008 season and has represented six franchises, including leading KKR to the playoffs in 2018.

He ended with 4,842 runs in 257 matches with 22 fifties.

“I just like his honesty, his courage to go and speak to anyone about things that he really feels about. And that, I think, is the most special thing for me when it comes to Dinesh.

“And that’s something that I’ve always cherished about him. And that’s why we get along really, really well.”

‘A correct player’

Kohli also hailed Karthik as a technically “correct” and versatile batter.

“I always looked at Dinesh and felt like he was such a correct player technically that he could adapt to any kind of role that’s been given to him, and I remember watching him in the 2013 season where he got 600 runs or something and he batted brilliantly at three.

“I saw him play shots which were like ‘wow’. I think he’s done brilliantly to switch and become a renowned finisher.

“…I wish him all the very best for all his future endeavours moving forward.” Kohli hoped that Karthik would stay connected to the RCB franchise in some capacity.

“…because his expertise when it comes to cricket is priceless. I think he’s of great value to this franchise,” he said.

‘Hyperactive, confused person’

Recalling his first meeting with Karthik during India’s tour of South Africa in 2009, Kohli said at first, he found him to be a hyperactive and confused person moving all over the place.

“The first time I met him, I remember we were playing in South Africa if I am not wrong in the Champions Trophy 2009. It was the first time I shared the change room with Dinesh, and I found him to be very amusing, very… I would say hyperactive, confused person.

“Most of the time, he was moving all over the place, never stopping. That was my first impression of Dinesh.

“He is an outstanding talent, brilliant batter to watch and my first impression and the present-day impression are not far apart — just that he has become wiser and calmed down a lot,” Kohli added.

Virat Kohli with Dinesh Karthik during an IPL 2024 match.© Twitter

Shikhar Dhawan, the renowned India opener, has admitted that he has entered a phase of transition and will soon stand on the threshold of a new chapter in his life. Scoring a century in his Test debut and raising his bat high in the air to celebrate his ton in his hundredth ODI game, Dhawan has tasted success throughout his illustrious career. But the journey of an athlete is not everlasting; it eventually comes to an end. The 38-year-old has been away from the international circuit for a while now, as he last donned the Blue Jersey in an international match in December 2022. While he continues to drift away from the international stage, he has still been a regular face in the Indian Premier League. But after Punjab Kings crashed out of this season, a section of social media users have been speculating about the future of the seasoned batter.

While addressing his journey, Dhawan admitted that his cricketing career is going through a “transition.” He is taking things as they come, showing how he has a calm and composed head on his shoulders.

In an interview with ANI, the southpaw shared that he knows sporting careers come with an age limit and he might have to hang up his boots one day.

“I am also going through a transition ‘Jahan Meri Cricket Vishram Pe Aayegi’ and a new chapter in my life will start. You only have a certain age till you can play. It could be one year more, two years more, or xyz for me…,” Dhawan said.

The veteran opener has established himself as one of the most decorated batters in the history of the cash-rich league.

Dhawan, who is the first man to hit back-to-back hundreds in the IPL, made his debut in the inaugural season and went on to become the second-highest run-getter with a whopping tally of 6,769 runs.

Even in the last edition, he racked up 373 runs at an average of 41.44, demonstrating his hunger to perform on the big stage. But this season, he managed to feature in only five games and missed the majority of the season due to a shoulder injury.

On April 9, he sustained a shoulder injury while fielding during the Punjab Kings (PBKS) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He even reflected on the nature of his injury and added, “Unfortunately I got injured this IPL season and could not play for Punjab except for 4-5 matches. It takes time to recover. I am still healing. I have not recovered 100 per cent yet.”

Dhawan has been out of action on the field ever since he got injured, but he did come up with something special for his fans.

On May 20, his chat show ‘Dhawan Karenge’ was launched on JioCinema. He shot for the show before the IPL 2024 season.

On exploring new horizons with his hosting debut, Dhawan said that it was quite a learning and different experience for him.

“I will be honest…I was quite nervous initially as it was something new for me. ‘Dil Dhak-Dhak Kar Raha Tha’..(heart was beating fast), especially when I was shooting with Akshay Paaji (Akshay Kumar). I was smiling in front of him but I was nervous for sure. I feel it’s natural to get nervous when you start something new…but ‘Ek Baari Flow Mein Aa Gaye Toh Phir Chakke-Chauke Pad Hi Jaate Hain’ (once you get the hang of it, then it is just like smashing boundaries on the cricket field),” Dhawan laughed.

The ICC on Friday announced some of the biggest names in cricket and broadcasting, including former India coach Ravi Shastri and the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, as part of a robust commentary panel for next month’s T20 World Cup. The T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies from June 2 till 29. Dinesh Karthik, who retired from all forms of cricket after his team Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL campaign, has also been named in the commentary panel list.

Leading the commentary team are stalwarts such as Shastri, Nasser Hussain, Ian Smith, Mel Jones, Harsha Bhogle and Ian Bishop.

Adding to the insights on the modern game, the team will be joined by former men’s and women’s T20 World Cup champions such as Karthik, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Samuel Badree, Carlos Brathwaite, Steve Smith, Aaron Finch and Lisa Sthalekar.

Former 50-over World Cup winners Ricky Ponting, Gavaskar, Matthew Hayden, Ramiz Raja, Eoin Morgan, Tom Moody and Wasim Akram will also be lending their expert analysis to the upcoming tournament.

Making his World Cup debut, American commentator James O’Brien – better known as Jomboy – will aim to add context to the games for the American audiences.

The other big names in the team include Dale Steyn, Graeme Smith, Michael Atherton, Waqar Younis, Simon Doull, Shaun Pollock and Katey Martin alongside renowned cricketing names in broadcasting such as Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Natalie Germanos, Danny Morrison, Alison Mitchell, Alan Wilkins, Brian Murgatroyd, Mike Haysman, Ian Ward, Athar Ali Khan, Russel Arnold, Niall O’Brien, Kass Naidoo and former West Indies skipper Daren Ganga.

ICC will provide extensive coverage of the tournament across the 28 days of action with a pre-match show, an innings interval programme and a post-match wrap-up.

Building on the success of the vertical feed at the ICC men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC TV will introduce an AI-supported vertical feed for the T20 World Cup.

This innovative feature, produced in collaboration with Disney Star, Quidich Innovation Labs, and NEP, will be a first for cricket.

One of the finest servants of Indian cricket, Dinesh Karthik said goodbye to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were knocked out from the competition on Wednesday. RCB’s defeat against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator was Karthik’s final game in the T20 league, with the veteran wicket-keeper batter deciding to move on. RCB players also gave Karthik a guard of honour after the team’s elimination from the tournament, before sharing a beautiful video in which Karthik’s wife Deepika Pallikal was also interviewed.

The video shared by RCB starts with an interview with Virat Kohli where the franchise’s former skipper recalls his first interaction with Karthik in 2009.

“First time I met DK, I remember we were playing in South Africa if I am not wrong in the Champions Trophy 2009. It was the first time I shared the change-room with Dinesh and I found him to be very amusing, I would say hyper-active, confused person, most of the times he was moving all over the place, never stopping. That was my first impression of Dinesh,” Kohli said in the video.

“Outstanding talent, brilliant batter to watch and my first impression and present day impression are not far apart. Just that he has become wiser and calmed down a lot,” he added.

Virat also lauded Karthik’s honest and courage as he shared an interesting anecdote from 2022 when the former didn’t have the best of IPL. It was the wicket-keeper batter who sat him down and given an honest perspective about what could be going wrong.

“Off the field, I have had some really nice and interesting conversations with him. He is wise man, has great knowledge about a lot of things, not just cricket. I have thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with him. Even in that phase in 2022 when I did not have a great IPL season, I was really struggling for confidence, he sat me down a couple of times and gave me a very honest explanation of how he is seeing things and maybe I am not able to see them myself,” Kohli said.

“So, I just like his honesty and courage to go and speak to anyone about things that he dearly feels about. And that I think is the most special thing for me when it comes to Dinesh and that’s one thing I have always cherished about him. That’s why we get along really really well,” Kohli added.

Later in the video, Karthik’s wife Deepika Pallikal shared some memorable moments from the cricketer’s career, while admitting that it would be tough for him to move on from the game. As Deepika shared the moments, she broke down on camera.

DK, We love you!

Not often do you find a cricketer who’s loved by everyone around him. DK is one, because he was smart, humble, honest, and gentle! Celebrating @DineshKarthik‘s career with stories from his best friends and family! #PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #WeLoveYouDK pic.twitter.com/fW3bLGMQER

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 24, 2024

Deepika, who is a professional squash player, urged Karthik to spend more time with her and their children now that he is retiring from the game.