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Veteran Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik had a very impressive debut during the ongoing World Test Championship 2021 Final. From sledging Nasser Hussain to his insightful discussions with Simon Doull, the 36-year-old was a refreshing presence in the commentary box as he also received praise from one of India's best commentators Harsha Bhogle.
Karthik recalls the famous Dravid-Laxman partnership in Kolkata
As all the commentators were announcing a list of the greatest Test matches ever played in the history of game, Dinesh Karthik could not help himself but to mention the historic 2001 Kolkata Test when India produced a heroic comeback to defeat Australia by 171 runs, ending their streak of 16 straight wins.
Reflecting on the famous Dravid-Laxman partnership, Karthik said, "I remember at the time I would get up at 8 AM and switch on the television and they went the entire day without losing a wicket. For a young player in India that was incredible and you have to remember that Australia at the time were insurmountable."
DK made his Test debut during Australia's next tour of India
As India has equalized the series 1-1 in Kolkata, the action then shifted to Chennai where Dinesh Karthik, who was aged 15 at the time was a ball boy. The wicketkeeper batsman revealed, "I was a ball boy during the next Test. It was a great experience, throwing the ball to these guys." The deciding match went down the wire as India sealed the win by 2 wickets as the famous 2-1 series win started a new era for cricket in the country.
Interestingly, Karthik made his Test debut during Australia's next tour of India in 2004 in Mumbai. Although he could manage scores of only 10 and 4 in the two innings, he was very impressive with the gloves. Karthik inflicted a fantastic stumping to dismiss Michael Clarke in first innings and took a smart catch to send Justin Langer back to pavilion in the second innings as India won the thrilling encounter by 13 runs.