Left arm spinner Murali Karthik told SportsCenter he is completely at a loss after being continuously dropped from the Indian team.

By Dinesh Chopra

Karthik, who plays for the Kolkata team in the IPL has been unlucky to miss the Indian bus more than once and feels undone by the selection panel.

“I have had very few off days in my cricketing career and if you get dropped after that, it is a huge disappointment.

I had spoken to the chief of selectors once I was dropped after my world record six wicket haul against Australia and the reason given to me was that they had overlooked me. I just don’t understand the reasoning.

I was dropped from the contracts after such a fine show and there was nothing for me. I lost my contracts just because I had twisted my ankle?”

However, Karthik is not losing hope even after being ignored for India’s ICC World Twenty20 squad where leg-spinner Piyush Chawla got to make a comeback.

“As long as I know that I am the best left-arm spinner in the country, I will continue to play. The day someone tells me there is a better left-arm spinner than me, that will be curtains down for my career,” Karthik said with a wry smile.

The spinner also rued the fact that his consistent performances in county cricket were not taken into reckoning.

“I was told that county performances are not considered. If county records can be counted for some players, why not for me?”

Karthik urged the media to take up the cause of players, who were meted with scant respect by the selectors.

“The problem is when players like Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are dealt with badly by selectors, the media goes to town about it. Of course these players are of a different class altogether.

But there are so many cricketers whose causes are not taken up. Who will take up our cases in the media?”

Karthik, meanwhile vowed to give in his best during the IPL and look for motivation within: “When you know you are doing well, there is no greater motivation than that.”

With the IPL almost half way through, India’s most successful left-arm tweaker of recent times still has time to make an impact and prove his utility in different conditions.

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