Amid the uncertainty around India's wicket-keeper choice for the upcoming T20 World Cup, veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik on Saturday threw his hat in the ring saying that he was "100 per cent ready" to represent the country for the showpiece event in the US and the Caribbean. (More Cricket News)
Karthik is enjoying his best Indian Premier League (IPL) season ever even though his team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) languish at the bottom of the table.
"At this stage in my life, it would be the greatest feeling for me to represent India. I'm very, very keen to do so. There is nothing bigger in my life other than representing India in this T20 World Cup," the RCB wicketkeeper-batters said ahead of his team's Sunday clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
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The veteran who last represented India in the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022 is having a dream IPL season. He has amassed 226 runs in seven innings with two half-centuries. His strike rate is a mammoth 205.45 and the keeper-batter averages 75.33 in the seven games that he has played so far in this season.
Karthik has never scored quicker than this season in IPL and has never averaged more in a tournament that he has been part of since the inaugural edition of 2008.
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Karthik also posed his trust in the trio of skipper Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar to take the best decisions for the team.
"I also feel there are three very, very stable, honest people who are at the helm to decide what should be the best Indian team for the World Cup -- Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar.
"And I'm completely with them. I respect any decision that they take. But all I can say is I'm 100 per cent ready, and I'll do everything I can to be on that flight to the World Cup."
Karthik is competing with a string of other players for the wicket-keeper's slot for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson are some other frontrunners in the race. However, Karthik's boon is that he bats in the lower order while most of his competitors like to bat in the top four.
