KKR skipper Karthik hopes to lead from the front

Mumbai, March 4: Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik was on Sunday appointed captain of Kolkata Knight Riders and Robin Uthappa his deputy for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Karthik appointed Kolkata Knight Riders captain

IPL Special Site

Karthik said he would like to emulate current India skipper Virat Kohli and lead from the front. "Virat is a captain who leads by his action. He is somebody who shows with his performance and that is something that I can try and emulate -- lead by example rather than speaking, go on the ground and show with the scores or the way I play etc," Karthik said.

Drumrolls! 🥁
Experienced wicket-keeper batsman, @DineshKarthik will lead the men in Purple and Gold for VIVO @IPL 2018. 🙌#KorboLorboJeetbo #KKRKaCaptainKaun pic.twitter.com/558Nkgpj9F

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 4, 2018

He also said that even if he does not look aggressive, there is aggression deep inside and he would not change that while leading the side. "In terms of being aggressive captain, I am not aggressive outwardly by nature, but that does not mean I am not aggressive inside. While playing a game, I am one of those guys who don’t even speak to the opponents, before the game or in the lead up to the game, these are some of the qualities which I have and these are the ways I show aggression."

Present on the occasion were KKR’s CEO, Venky Mysore, and Karthik himself. Karthik, who is a part of the India squad or the triangular T20 series in Sri Lanka, added, "When the situation is tough be there and do the best. "I look eye to eye, and do small things that matter, I may not show it from body language, but I know deep down I am thoroughly aggressive in the way I play cricket and I would like to take that forward."

With the much awaited announcement done, #KKRHaiTaiyaar with Dinesh Karthik as our Captain! 💪😎#KorboLorboJeetbo #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/tIo3f8WYlr

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 4, 2018

KKR have young pacers such as Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, who have made a mark in the U-19 World Cup, which India won. Asked what advice he would give the two Karthik said, "Definitely not just concentrate on pace, that's just one aspect of fast bowling. At this stage in a situation like IPL you need variations and you need to be thinking ahead of the batsmen. "We had Heath Streak as bowling coach and he was very efficient and I know he has the potential to help these youngsters and they have lot to learn from him as a bowling coach and they are in safe hands, and with somebody like Jacques Kallis, who is an all-rounder, he would be giving right advice as well."

The side also boasts of three wrist spinners in Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav and West Indian Sunil Narine. Karthik said that other teams would be jealous of KKR as wrist spinners are the flavour of the season. "In terms of wrist spinners, Piyush (Chawla) has 10 years of experience in playing the IPL and in terms of number of wickets taken by an IPL bowler, he is in the top five. Kuldeep (Yadav) of late, the performances he is producing for Indian team, so that augurs well for the team.

"The flavour of the season is wrist spin because it is hard to pick them and they have the ability to pick wickets, it is good that we have those three bowlers. Most teams would be jealous that we have three wrist spinners."

Here's a message for all #KnightRiders from our Captain, @DineshKarthik 😍#KorboLorboJeetbo pic.twitter.com/MNAvDM4tHp

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 4, 2018

Karthik said he was looking forward to lead a side having a combination of youth and experience. "We have a very balanced side and that is a great place to start from. And in terms of building the team, it's a journey. We know that we are going to have this team for three years, so the important thing is to get best out of the players and then keep moving forward.

"The first thing would be to connect all the boys together. One of the most important thing is to get the whole group together and get the bonding going straight away. It's always difficult in IPL sort of environment because there is not much time. It is always a challenge and we are trying to address that."

KKR play their opening game on April 8 at the Eden Gardens.