“He doesn’t do it with talking or abusing” - Dinesh Karthik names No. 1 captain in the world

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has revealed the name he believes is the world's No. 1 captain at the moment. Speaking on an episode on HeyCB with DK, Karthik picked Australian all-rounder Pat Cummins as the best captain in the world.

Impressed by how Cummins carries himself, Dinesh Karthik lauded him for his leadership abilities.

“I feel he (Cummins) is the most aggressive cricketer on the planet right now. And he doesn’t do it with talking or abusing. He does it with his body language, the way he handles the media, postmatches, and prematches. He has in it, he has in him the ability to lead a group of men, and for me, he is the number one captain in the world right now," Karthik said (via News18).

Pat Cummins took over as Australia captain in 2021. The 31-year-old has a successful record so far. He captained Australia to victory in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) and a record sixth ODI World Cup title in the same year.

Moreover, he also ended their decade-long wait to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), with Australia beating India 3-1 in the recent edition. With that, Australia have also made it to the 2025 WTC final and will face South Africa at Lords' in June.

Australia are set to tour Sri Lanka for a two-Test series before the WTC final. However, Cummins is not a part of the squad. The all-rounder will be on paternity leave for the birth of his second child.

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Dinesh Karthik to play SA20 2025

Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik, who retired from all forms of cricket in June 2024, reversed his decision and agreed to play for the Paarl Royals in the 2025 edition of the SA20 League.

He is the first Indian cricketer who will feature in the SA20, South Africa's premier T20 franchise league competition. The 2025 tournament is the third edition of the league.

Paarl Royals will begin their campaign against the defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape on Saturday, January 11. The match will be played at the Boland Park Stadium in Paarl.

After the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), this will be Dinesh Karthik's first tournament.