5 wicket-keepers MS Dhoni kept out of the Indian Team

#4 Dinesh Karthik

Karthik has had a start-and-stop international career

Let's go back a few months to the Nidahas Trophy Final – India needed five runs off the final delivery and an Indian WK-batsman finished the game with a six – a recurring concept for Indian fans, but this time, the batsman was not Dhoni.

A knock of 29 runs in 8 balls from a certain batsman turned the game on its head.

Today, in December of 2018, if you ask an ardent Indian Cricket fan whom will he pick as the limited overs' keeper in the absence of Dhoni, the answer, ahead of Pant, will be plain and simple – Dinesh Karthik.

The right-hander was one of the most dominant of choices as the second keeper for India over the years, DK, as he's popularly referred to, has finally gained the limelight he believe think he deserved earlier in his career.

Having made his international debut before MSD and after an under-prepared Parthiv Patel, a very young Karthik quickly impressed with his cricketing skills. However, he too became shoddy over time and lost his place in the side. Then came Dhoni, and the rest is history.

In the 2007 England Test series, Karthik came back as a specialist batsman, slamming the most number of runs for India as they lifted the trophy. This was the peak of his career before another milestone was reached in 2018, where he reestablished himself as a reliable finisher for India. He also had an amazing campaign with KKR as their captain last year, but a forgettable Test series in England as India's keeper in the first couple of Tests. A full circle indeed!

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ODI Record: Debut: 2004 vs Eng, Lord's || M: 86 || Runs: 1663.

T20I Record: Debut: 2006 vs SA || M: 27 || Runs: 352.

Test Record: Debut: 2004 vs Aus || M: 26 || Runs: 1025.

IPL Record: Matches: 168 || Runs: 3401. (DD, KXIP, MI, GL, RCB, KKR*)