Many who frequented the Ahmadi Cricket Ground Kuwait in the mid and late nineties would remember a very small but talented boy of about 11 years playing fluent strokes in the nets. He would be attired in elegant cricketing whites and would wear protective gear like a helmet and leg guards, which would appear a couple of sizes too large. There would be many curious onlookers, some of whom were established local cricketers, who would pick up a ball and bowl to him joining the many young buddies who were having a bowl. The delicate and thinly built boy of about 4 feet had orthodox foot movements and body positioning before the bat came down correctly to meet the ball precisely at the sweet spot. Whether defending or playing an attacking shot there was a sense of perfection that was being attempted and achieved. Today, Dinesh Karthik at 19 years and 5 feet 8 inches tall reaps the rewards of days, months and years of striving to be the best to be justifiably included in the Indian One-Day International Cricket team for the Videocon Tri-Series in Holland and the Natwest and ICC Champions’ Trophies in England. He plays as a wicketkeeper batsman and replaces another youngster Partiv Patel. A giant leap, no doubt from the schoolboy cricket he played in Kuwait when at the Indian Public School, Salmiya. There was never any doubt that Dinesh would play at the highest level but his ascendancy has been so acute in the last two years or so that even his ardent fans would be utterly amazed. In Kuwait, junior cricket was just in its infancy in those days and Dinesh, who was good enough to play Under 18 cricket when he was just 11 years old impressed many with his correct technique and strong temperament. The interschool matches and the Champions’ Challenge tournament between Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and International Schools’ representative teams were perhaps the first serious games that Dinesh played as a youngster. But tournaments and matches were few and far between in Kuwait to quench his thirst for encounters with willow and leather. Therefore, Dinesh’s father V. Krishnakumar (KK to his friends in the Veterans Cricketers’ circuit) wisely decided that his talent in wicketkeeping and batting should be nurtured and developed back in Chennai, where Krishnakumar himself had played City First Division League Cricket. Amply encouraged also by his mother, Padmini who has played Tamil Nadu state level Table Tennis, Dinesh moved to Chennai where he started playing school cricket. He then inched his way into the limelight with good performances to grab a place in the City Under 19 team. Tamil Nadu State representation at the Under 19 level soon followed and his two double hundreds in the South Zone Inter-State Cooch Bihar tournament was perhaps a defining moment in his career. The potential that was so evident had been translated into results. Dinesh started playing first division cricket for the MRF Globetrotters in the Chennai League and was inducted into the Tamil Nadu Ranji team in the 2002/3 season. But his fiery hundreds in the Ranji semi-final and final 2003/4 were the talk of the town for his sheer brilliant stroke play and fearless temperament. Soon after, Dinesh just walked into the India Under 19 team and was appointed Vice Captain for the Youth World Cup in Bangladesh. His 39 ball 70 against Sri Lanka, which took India into the semifinal, kindled a buzz of enthusiasm at the national level. Dinesh himself humbly declared in his recent visit to Kuwait that all the senior national players had heard of him though he had not met any of them personally. Robin Singh, the coach praised Dinesh as the fittest member of the team and appreciated his ability to stay focused for long periods. Apparently, a perceived technical weakness in his wicketkeeping had also been ironed out. If the Under 19 World Cup generated interest, his 96 and 52 while playing for India A against Zimbabwe just a couple of weeks ago consolidated his claim for selection. At a juncture when India are looking for a genuine wicketkeeper batsman for the shorter version of the game, no lesser stalwarts than Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and national selector and former test wicketkeeper Sayed Kirmani had many a good word for Dinesh and that certainly helped. Whether Dinesh would make it to the regular playing eleven in a team that has evolved a stable core unit is of course another issue. Nevertheless the recent failure in the Asia Cup, Videocon Trophy, The Natwest Series and the ICC Champions’ Trophy might induce a change of thought to pave the way for Dinesh Karthik while simultaneously freeing Rahul Dravid of his wicketkeeping duties. The little frail boy at the Ahmadi nets has indeed evolved into a strong and confident international cricketer. No doubt a great encouragement for cricketers in Kuwait at a period when the local game itself has received a tremendous boost from the ICC and the ACC. If they are to take a leaf form Dinesh’s book, however, they have to develop unfailing dedication, a willingness and humility to learn, a disciplined character and a strong mind in an equally strong body. The cricketing fraternity in Kuwait would like to wish Dinesh Karthik all the very best in his international cricketing career. Check out Dinesh’s latest statistics at: http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/PLAYERS/IND/K/KARTHIK_KKD_06008813/