Karthik has a chance to make a comeback: Kanitkar

PUNE: Not too long ago, Hrishikesh Kanitkar led the Rajasthan side to their maiden Ranji Trophy win in 2010-11. This year as coach, Kanitkar saw Tamil Nadu reaching the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy, winning the Vijay Hazare T20 tournament followed by a title win in the 50-over Deodhar Trophy recently.
Kanitkar certainly has cracked the domestic cricket code. Though he doesn't agree completely, he neither expresses his disagreement.
"I don't know about the code, but I know a few things that it takes to win.Having said that, I believe there is always more that you can learn and experience. So far it has been good in terms of results, but the journey goes on and we keep improving. I keep my mind open and learn new things every day," he remains modest when asked about the success he has had with the Tamil Nadu team in his first year as coach.
But nothing comes in easy. He feels tough calls need to be taken if it benefits the team in the long term.
"The only motive that I have for the team I coach is to do whatever is the best for it. To achieve that, I am prepared to take harsh decisions. It can be about the changes in the team, strategies or the attitude of the players. Also, it is extremely important to give players responsibility and space to shoulder it. I believe each player, however young he is, should be allowed to play according to his character," the Pune-born Test player says.
With Champions Trophy approaching, Kanitkar believes his Tamil Nadu player Dinesh Karthik has a real chance to make a comeback in the Indian side. Karthik had scored over 700 runs, including a century and 5 half-centuries in the Ranji Trophy this season, and was the top-scorer in the Deodhar Trophy with 247 runs.
"He has always been very talented and hardworking and he has played a lot of cricket for India in the past. This season his batting touch is phenomenal and he is also keeping well. In the domestic season, he fielded in a couple of games when he couldn't keep and he took some very good catches that were instrumental in the results we got. His all-round performance was tremendous. What was more important was his involvement with the team, his mentorship of the team so that is the reason he flourished this year. He has a good chance of getting selected for the Champions Trophy," the coach says.
The former India Test player is now assistant coach of the Rising Pune Supergiant team and hopes he could add value to the team with his knowledge of local conditions and players.