India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who has been in great form, wants to play for India as well. He is a finisher for Tamil Nadu in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy and he has said that he wants to be in the Indian team during next year’s T20 World Cup as a finisher like MS Dhoni.

“It’s (The T20 World Cup) a year away but if I feel I can keep performing and have a good (domestic) tournament, I’m sure I will go out there and play,” Dinesh Karthik told ESPNcricinfo. “Because, I feel it’s a key part that the Indian team is looking out as well – closing out matches and have someone who can understand those situations and do the best at that point of time.”

“And I feel I’ve done that in the short time I’d played T20s (for India). But, post the World Cup, I didn’t play; they clubbed it (poor form at the World Cup) with the T20 part of it and removed me from the team as well. But I feel that I’m well-suited to play that role Dhoni has played for so many years now. I feel I can do something like that and I’ve been doing that for KKR and Tamil Nadu. So, if a slot opens up there, that’s something I’ll be really looking forward to. The T20 World Cup is definitely something I’d want to play,” he added.

Karthik has been in great form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy where he has scored 349 runs so far in six innings, at an impressive average of 87.25 and a strike rate of above 135. Having scored four fifties so far, Dinesh Karthik talked about his performance.

“I want to bat in the toughest conditions and in the place where I can give others the opportunity to play and in the hardest times in the match I think I can use my experience,” he said. “As someone who has been with Tamil Nadu for so long, I feel all the tough moments could be handled by somebody like me. And in those moments I could have somebody young with me and I could guide him along those lines. So, that’s the role I’m doing here,” he concluded.