Talking about the Indian Premier League (IPL) experience, the 32-year-old former Tamil Nadu and present Kerala batsman Arun Karthik recently claimed that he has learnt a lot of from the top international cricketers.
Making his IPL debut in 2011, Karthik has played only 17 matches in IPL career where he has scored only 51 runs with the average of 10.20. Though he has a very disappointed IPL career, who last played in IPL in 2013, he has learnt a lot of from the top international cricketers.
Playing for CSK, Karthik amazed after observing the disciplines of Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey. He also feels that MS Dhoni is a very special player who can bring out the best from the players.
Speaking on it, Karthik told CricTracker in an interview, “Those days were an amazing learning curve for me who was new to the domestic circuit at that time. I learnt a lot from the other players. Especially from (Matthew) Hayden, he used to run 8 laps around Chepauk at 1 pm in the summer of May. It showed me the importance of preparation. Also, Mike Hussey‘s routines before every session. Everything was professional and picture-perfect. Mahi bhai’s magic to get the best from the players, it’s something not many people can do.”
During his RCB term, Karthik also feels magical experience to play with some top international cricketers like Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers etc.
Karthik added, “At RCB it was a magical experience playing alongside Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and all the other stars. That was the time Virat started to get into fitness. Oh boy, he was a man on a mission. He was focused, determined and you can make it from his eyes. There was a little from every doyen around me that taught and inspired me.”
The ongoing year is the fabulous year for Karthik as he won the Player of the Tournament award in the 2018 Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Playing for the champions Siechem Madurai Panthers, Karthik finished as the leading run scorer after scoring 472 runs in 10 matches with the average of 78.66.
In the IPL 2019 Player Auction, Karthik has been shortlisted as a wicketkeeper-batsman with the base value of INR 20 lakh.
Karthik said about the upcoming IPL auction, “I’m very confident of doing well in the IPL for the team that I get picked. But again, the auction is something that isn’t in any player’s control. Yes, as a wicketkeeper I have been working a lot, I have put in the time and effort on it. Let’s see how it goes. I have the numbers behind me, so it’s going to be quite exciting.”
