Karthik is determined to exploit pitch conditions in England, where he has seen much success in the recent past.
Dinesh Karthik (Photo: AFP)
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who scored a match-winning knock of 94 runs to help India beat Bangladesh in the warp-up match, is determined to exploit pitch conditions in England, where he has seen much success in the recent past.
Karthik has made 397 runs from 15 matches in England out of which, he smashed 263 runs in three Test matches. Test is considered to be the toughest format to play on England pitches that assist pacers with good bounce.
“On a personal note, it's important to feel how it is to be batting back in England. It's a great place to play cricket,” Karthik, who played his last match in England in 2013, told PTI on Wednesday.
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Talking about the valuable bounce on wicket and the right way to bat, Karthik added: “You have to be aware of the conditions. If the sun is out, it's pretty beautiful to bat. In fact it's better than India because the ball bounces even better and comes on to the bat.”
The 31-year-old batsman from Chennai also hinted at situations where bowlers take advantage in England.
“But if there's a bit of cloud cover, the bowler gets the upper hand. There's a bit of swing and immediately things change and you can see the way the game progresses. There is a certain game flow with the sun being out and not,” he said.
Karthik replaced injured Manish Pandey from the original squad and amid the presence of star keeper MS Dhoni, his chances of making in playing 11 are slim.
“There is probably a little more bounce than India. The ball does skid on a little more but at times it's great for stroke-making as well. It's good to play some shots and it's just great to bat,” Karthik added, referring to his stroke-hitting abilities that may help India in Champions Trophy.
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