DK, the Indian spice in English cricket fare

Dinesh Karthik will be part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team, trying to revive their fortunes in the second leg of the Indian Premier League at the United Arab Emirates that starts on September 19. But prior to that, DK, as he is popularly known, has already been a smash hit after being dubbed as the most popular commentator in the UK by a British online betting group.It’s all the more special because the rookie commentator was chosen ahead of the likes of legends Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Michael Holding and David Lloyd.
Karthik, who made his debut as a commentator at the World Test Championship final in mid-June, was a part of the experts’ panel for the new English sensation The Hundred (a 100-ball event) and the India series in England. “I was supposed to do commentary for the five Tests, but I felt the need to prepare myself for the IPL. So I requested the SKY Sports team to relieve me of my commentary duties,” Karthik, who is also the Tamil Nadu captain, told TOI.
Part of the Indian team in England in 2018, the wicketkeeper batsman, who still harbours hopes of an India comeback in the T20 format, felt there was a “sense of missing out” when India were playing. “Yes, that desire to play is there and that’s why I left early. But that didn’t stop me from giving my best in the commentary box. And let’s not forget, you learn a lot as a player when you are doing commentary,” the 36-year-old said.
While it was Karthik’s unbiased, to-the-point commentary that warmed him to the British audience, it was his colourful sartorial style that made the former England captain Atherton name him Mr Armani. “DK is leaving us by the end of this (Leeds) Test match and here is a gentle look at the Giorgio Armani of commentary,” Atherton said. Karthik laughed when queried about it. “I wanted to be myself, wear what I like. And may be bring in that dash of Indian colour that has its own appeal in England,” said Karthik.
Explaining his style of commentary, Karthik said “it’s important to get the context right in as less words as possible” and that was something he had worked on. “Hussain is brilliant at that. It is also important to be humorous and create an ambience in the commentary box,” said Karthik, who has idolised commentators Richie Benaud and Tony Greig.
Ahead of the World Test Championship final, Karthik had to spend a few days in Serbia for quarantine with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who was also doing commentary for the match for Sky. “My father was his fan and I was named after one of the brands (Dinesh) he used to endorse,” said Karthik, who took Gavaskar’s advice of following his instinct while commentating.
Karthik made sure he was “unbiased”, but that didn’t mean he was over critical just because he had a mike in his hand. “It is about putting things in context and talking about how things can get better,” said the Chennai man, who doesn’t mind going back again. “If it doesn’t interfere with my cricket, I would love to be part of the commentary team every year,” he said.