Ravichandran Ashwin hosted Dinesh Karthik in his latest video on his official YouTube channel, where the duo discussed numerous topics related to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ravichandran Ashwin hosted Dinesh Karthik in his latest video on his official YouTube channel, where the duo discussed numerous topics related to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ashwin asked Karthik about the challenges he faced during his captaincy stint with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the learnings of being a captain.
Dinesh Karthik answered there are different cultures, and the captains might find it hard to connect with every player. Karthik emphasised the importance of honesty, which might end a few friendships.
“It’s a very, very different feeling being a captain of a franchise. You have to understand there are way too many cultures, and it will be very hard to connect with each of them personally. The only thing you can do is be very honest with them. A lot of times, as a leader, the one thing I have realised is you will lose out on certain friendships, and you will be misunderstood a lot of times. It’s part of the whole scheme of things. But you want to be honest and want to say things as straight as possible.”
Dinesh Karthik led KKR from IPL 2018 to the first half of IPL 2020 before handing the leadership charges to Eoin Morgan. He took this decision after KKR failed to win matches consistently under him.
When Dinesh Karthik was leading Kolkata Knight Riders, Kuldeep Yadav faced a major slump in form in 2019 when he played only nine matches and five in IPL 2020. Karthik opened up on his tough conversation with Kuldeep during his rough phase.
“During my time, Kuldeep wasn’t doing as well as he is today. So, there were some tough conversations with him, and I don’t think he would have appreciated me at that stage. But I had to be just honest with him, and those were some tough conversations at different points of time. But today, to see where he is, I am really happy. It’s got nothing to do with me; he has worked on his game, he has become a better bowler, he has become a world-beater at this stage, and I am very happy for him.”
Ashwin then discussed how arduous it is for spinners in modern-day cricket, to which Karthik agreed. Karthik added those tough times helped Kuldeep get better and become the bowler he is today.
“I think those tough times are what made him (Kuldeep) the bowler he is today. Every cricketer goes through that, and my bad luck is that I had to be part of that time in his life. I just hope he understands what I did; I don’t expect him to appreciate it or be okay with it, but I hope he understands where I came from, and that’s all you can expect. Just be honest with what needs to be done. At the end of the day, whatever decisions you take, you are taking with the hope that it helps the team, and there is nothing personal.”
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.
