Two of the finest wicketkeeper batsmen produced in the modern game of cricket, Dinesh Karthik and Brendon McCullum, have had parallel career graphs throughout the last couple of decades.
But their parallel careers have intercepted each other on numerous occasions, be it in international cricket, or franchise cricket.
New Zealand’s wicketkeeper-cum-opening batsman revolutionized the T20 game through his aggressive batting style up-front, with the new ball. At the same time, Karthik is renowned for his finishing abilities down the order.
The two started off their international career young and almost at a similar time-frame. While one went on to be one of the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman and captain of New Zealand, the other’s career was overshadowed by the legend of MS Dhoni.
DK has had a nomadic IPL career, jumping from one franchise to the other, before finally being bagged by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the coveted position of captain. Karthik turned out to be an able successor of their inspirational two-time IPL winning captain, Gautam Gambhir.
McCullum, on the other hand, lit up the phenomenon of IPL in the very first game of the tournament with a memorable knock of 158*, donning the colors of Kolkata Knight Riders. ‘Baz’ represented KKR for several seasons before moving south.
He then went on to represent Chennai Super Kings to form a formidable opening partnership with Dwayne Smith. Further, the two stalwarts met again—this time wearing the colors of Gujarat Lions. The two were part of the same team, for a couple of seasons, before being resold at the subsequent auction.
Now, the two will share the dressing room again for the Knight Riders, but under different roles. McCullum takes over KKR’s beloved coach and former batsman, Jacques Kallis, who is now appointed as the batting coach of South Africa.
The two will now intend to forge a successful partnership, this time as captain and coach. DK, through his recent tweet, was looking forward to his new partnership with ‘Baz.’
Skipper DK & Coach Baz ➡ Opponents ⚔ to Team mates 🤝 to Pillars of strength for KKR!💜
How many #KKR captain-coach combos can you name from IPL history❓
💡Hint: We've had 4 coaches & 4 captains since 2008.#IPL2020 #Cricket #KorboLorboJeetbo @DineshKarthik @Bazmccullum pic.twitter.com/k0HfCii1TL— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 5, 2020
Nice one. Looking forward to this 😊 https://t.co/647645Q3kB
— DK (@DineshKarthik) March 5, 2020
