‘Take his interview, not mine’ – Dinesh Karthik predicted this TN player to be a star & it turned out true

Experienced India and Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik was one of the first prominent names to identify the state’s hard-hitting batter Shahrukh Khan‘s talent and promise.

Karthik predicted Khan’s journey and ascent to become one of the brightest young cricketers in the senior Indian domestic game after an unwanted accident that involved the cricketer.

It happened at the sidelines of a Tamil Nadu-Punjab Ranji Trophy game in Mohali three years ago. Batting in the nets against left-arm pacer T Natarajan, Khan received a rising delivery that hit him on his wrist and went down with excruciating pain.

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Dinesh Karthik predicted Shahrukh Khan’s rise up the ranks.

When Dinesh Karthik foresaw Shahrukh Khan’s ascent

Immediately, Dinesh Karthik, along with TN’s head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar and his assistant Lakshmipathy Balaji, rushed to check the then 23-year-old.

Later that evening, Indian Express recalled, Karthik told their reporter: “I’ve never seen anyone hit the cricket ball cleaner than this kid. You will hear a lot about him in the coming years.”

Now, at first glance, it may seem like the usual case of a stalwart trying to cheer a youngster infront of a reporter. Especially, as that Ranji game made headlines for Shubman Gill’s dominating 268 and Khan’s 19 and 11 were obviously forgotten. But Dinesh Karthik saw the talent, not the scorecard, and predicted a bright future ahead for that “kid”.

Today, as Khan makes a name for himself through encouraging performances in the IPL and senior domestic game for TN, Karthik’s prophecy seems to be turning true.

Khan caught the attention with his powerhitting skills in IPL 2021 for the Punjab franchise and backed that up with eye-catching performances for TN in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The SMAT final in Delhi against Karnataka saw Khan blast a critical 33 not out off 15 balls in the run-chase, including a final-ball six in a thrilling finish, to help TN clinch the title. He carried the great form and momentum with him in VJHT, scoring 253 runs from his seven innings at a strike-rate of 186.02.

Those performances earned Khan a huge pay-day at the IPL 2022 mega auction where he was repurchased by the Punjab franchise for INR 9 crores. Celebrating that moment with another notable performance, Khan smashed the Delhi attack in the first-round Ranji Trophy fixture in Guwahati, making 194 runs off just 148 deliveries.