A day before India left for the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka, IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders raised a few eyebrows not only with their grand announcement of a new captain on live television but also with their choice of the leader. CEO Venky Mysore unveiled Dinesh Karthik as the captain of KKR, while many believed Robin Uthappa was the ideal candidate considering his contribution to the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchise.
Two and a half weeks later, not many would be asking the same question after seeing Karthik achieving the unthinkable in the tournament final. For Mysore though, nothing much has changed, for them Karthik was still the first choice.
"In eight balls, he has made us look like geniuses. But we were convinced even before that, that he is absolutely the right choice for us because he brings in a lot of freshness, a lot of experience. He is a class player. With a wicketkeeper, batsman and captain you get three in one there," said Mysore.
Karthik walked in with India needing 34 off 12 and Bangladesh were on top. But Karthik needed only eight deliveries to dash their hopes as he sealed a four-wicket win with a last ball six.
"His calmness struck me. I have spent a lot of time with him recently, and when he came in to bat he seemed like he was confident he was going to win it. It bodes well for us also. I was very happy when DK what he did to win the game for India."
Asked to compare Karthik with M S Dhoni, Mysore said: "He is a very different type of player. I always admire the fact that DK has the flexibility to play under any situation. MS has been a legend, a power hitter, he hits those helicopter shots.
"DK has got his shots like reverse sweep, lap shot and the ability to clear the field. There's no panic of any sorts. There's something unique."
KKR veteran Robin Uthappa will be Karthik's deputy and Mysore said: "He (Uthappa) has been there with us for so many years. There's a lot of good combination of continuity and change for us."