He is calm and composed and looks ready for the battle called Indian Premier League. t2 caught up with the new Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik at ITC Sonar on Sunday. 

Congratulations on being KKR captain! 

I am very happy and honoured because it is a big franchise and for me to be leading it… I am very happy.

Does leadership come naturally to you?

I think leadership is something that I have always liked. It gives me responsibility and the freedom to do things that I would like to do in accordance with my team and what is right for the team. So I am really looking forward to it. 

We have to ask you about your last-ball six against Bangladesh in the Twenty20 Tri-Series final in Colombo (Dinesh played a blistering 29 off 8 balls and India won by four wickets). What was going on in your mind?

At that point I was a little blank, wanting to react to the ball and I got lucky it kind of hit the right place!

You have been part of the IPL from the beginning. Is there a memory that has stayed with you through the years?

Definitely! I think out of the 10 years, the year that I won for Mumbai Indians (2013) is something that is very fresh in my memory. That was a great year for us really. Whenever I think about it, it feels good.

Do you have a pregame superstition?

Yeah, I tie my left pad first and put my right leg in first. (Smiles)

We saw India Women skipper Mithali Raj reading a book during the World Cup before going out to bat. What do you do to keep calm during an innings?

General usual small routines... I pad up to get set for the day.

Who is your best friend from the teams you have played for?

You know over the years I have made a lot of close friends. Obviously, from Chennai, Abhinav (Mukund). In the Indian team, Hardik (Pandya) and K.L. (Rahul) are people I have been getting to know really well. In fact, the last tour that I was in, we had two people from Chennai as well, Vijay Shankar and Washington (Sundar). I spent a lot of time with them.

Have you been able to go around Calcutta yet?

No… I just came in yesterday... just been to Eden Gardens.

What is your favourite Eden Gardens memory?

Oh yeah! I got a 90 against Pakistan in a Test match, so that is a fabulous memory to have. I won the IPL in Calcutta also!

What does Best vs Best, the IPL 2018 tag line, mean to you?

It is very simple. I think it is one of the few tournaments where every team is balanced and all are good teams, so it is very hard, at this point of time, to choose the best team. So it is a group of eight teams, which are all top teams. It is, literally, the best vs the best. It is pretty self-explanatory.

Describe KKR in five words…

KKR is… fun, very passionate, highly motivated, young and has good vibes.

Who is the selfie addict in the KKR team?

I am sure one of the three young boys… must be (Kamlesh) Nagarkoti, I think.

How did you meet your wife, the squash champ Dipika Pallikal? 

I met her once at an event and then we kind of started training together at the same gym. 

Do you motivate each other, share tips, or prefer to talk about other things?

We don’t talk about cricket too much, honestly, or squash, because I think we are highly motivated as individuals.

Do you guys like to travel together?

Yes, that is a passion we both share. You know, we go to different places and explore.... 

What are some of your favourite pastimes as a couple?

We spend time watching TV or sit down and chat a bit, have lunch, dinner together… just normal things.

If a biopic was made on you, who would be the best person to play you?

Ranbir (Kapoor) or Ranveer (Singh), I think. I enjoy their movies. 

And who will play Dipika?

Dipika? (Thinks) Her namesake Deepika Padukone maybe! She is a sportsperson as well. Even Anushka (Sharma) can probably play that role.

Who is your favourite squash player?

Look, I have to say Dipika but there is another player called Raneem El Welily from Egypt. I really enjoy watching her play.

What is the one thing you’d like to change about yourself personally and professionally?

Sometimes I get distracted when I am talking to people. My eye contact goes elsewhere and it is very rude. That’s something I would like to change. Professionally, if I’d been a bowler, I could have been an all-rounder.

Do you have a favourite Shah Rukh Khan (KKR co-owner) film?

I enjoyed Veer-Zaara and one of my all-time favourite movies is Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Who is your favourite actor?

Aah… interestingly, I am a big fan of Aamir Khan. One of my all-time favourite actors is Rajinikanth. 

And, favourite actress?

Aah... that is a tough one. It keeps changing actually with the movies. I have always liked Deepika (Padukone)… she is somebody I have enjoyed watching. Alia Bhatt in the recent past has done really well. 

What is the one app you cannot do without?

One app… WhatsApp. (Smiles)

Who is your favourite musician?

I’m a big fan of SPB (S.P. Balasubrahmanyam) from Chennai. And I really like Arijit Singh.

What are you listening to a lot right now?

In the recent past I enjoyed Channa mereya. I have been listening to that quite a bit.

What do you follow on Netflix?

Right now I am watching Wild Wild Country. There is this Spanish show called La Casa De Papel which basically in English is Money Heist. I really enjoy it.

What does @dk00019 stand for in your Instagram handle?

My jersey number is 19, so @dk00019. 

Have you tried any Bengali dish yet?

As soon as I landed, they fed me Mishti Doi and Rosogolla.

Are you a fan of sweets?

I like Mishti Doi… and cheesecake!

What is your happiest memory?

When I got married in 2015!

Sulogna Ghosh
What is your message for KKR ahead of IPL 2018? Tell t2@abp.in