Dinesh Karthik issues public apology for omitting MS Dhoni from his all-time India XI

sanjeev

khelja|24-08-2024

Two former India keeper-batters, Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni, are again back at making headlines. Karthik, who picked his all-time India XI from past eras on Independence Day (August 15) this year, not only omitted ex-captain and batting great MS Dhoni but also didn't name an outright gloveman, with netizens taking a dig at him on social media.
Days after putting out his best XI, Karthik apologised for ignoring MS Dhoni on the list. Here is Dinesh Karthik's revised all-time XI - Rohit Sharma, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (newest addition), Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, Jasprit Bumrah and Zaheer Khan Taking to Cricbuzz, Karthik said, "Bhai log. Bada galti hogaya (Guys, I made a big mistake.) Genuinely it was a mistake."   Although there was no wicketkeeper in Karthik's initial all-time XI, Rahul Dravid's presence saved his day, as Dravid, back in the day, kept wickets for a couple of years, including during the 2002 Champions Trophy and 2003 ODI World Cup. However, Karthik admitted he realised not picking any keeper only after the episode came out. "I realised only when the episode came out. There were so many things happening that when I put this 11, I forgot the wicketkeeper. Luckily, Rahul Dravid was there, and everybody thought I was going with a part-time wicketkeeper. But, genuinely, I didn't think Rahul Dravid was a wicketkeeper, 'Can you believe being a wicketkeeper; I forgot to have a wicketkeeper? It is a blunder," Karthik issues clarification. 'Thala Dhoni is a lock-in for all formats' Speaking on missing out on picking MS Dhoni in his all-time XI, Karthik said Dhoni is a lock-in as a keeper-batter across all formats, not just in India XI but also in World XI. Karthik, who made his international debut before MS Dhoni and having shared the dressing room with the Thala, as most fans call MS, called him 'one of the greatest cricketers to have played the game.' "And for me, let's be clear. Thala Dhoni is a lock in any format, not only in India. I feel he is one of the greatest cricketers to have ever played the game. If I had to redo that team, one change I would make is Thala Dhoni in at 7. And he will be the captain of any Indian team that is there," Karthik added. Meanwhile, Karthik also retired from the IPL, where he last represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2024. On the other hand, MS Dhoni's IPL future stays in limbo, as he is yet to confirm his participation for the next season.
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