‘It is great to know that I overtook Dhoni, but it won’t be a matter of time before he overtakes me back’
Dinesh Karthik downplayed surpassing MS Dhoni's T20 runs record for an Indian wicketkeeper, emphasising that playing for India, not personal records, has always been his priority.
"I played a lot of my cricket wanting to play for India," Karthik, a SA20 ambassador, said in a select media interaction on Sunday.
“And when I retired from IPL and playing in India six months ago, I think that was the most important thing — to play for the country and do well. I’ve never been someone who’s very fascinated by records, probably because I don’t have great records, I don’t know, but you know, it is great to know that I overtook Dhoni, but it won’t be a matter of time before he overtakes me back. And it really wouldn’t trouble me much. I’m happy for him to keep that record as the highest whatever, run-scorer as a wicketkeeper. I don’t know what it is, but it is — I didn’t even know this till you (the reporter who asked him) told me, honestly, it’s okay. It’s nice to know, but it’s not something that I crave or really want," he added.
Karthik amassed 7537 runs in all T20s, surpassing Dhoni's 7432. Dhoni, who retired from Indian cricket including the IPL last year, will continue playing in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming 2025 season.
Karthik, the first Indian cricketer to play in the SA20, scored 130 runs in 11 matches for the Paarl Royals at a strike rate of 121.49.