Calcutta: Basking in his new-found status post the match-winning knock in Colombo, Dinesh Karthik agreed that the task of replacing a successful captain like Gautam Gambhir in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is certainly an arduous one.

But he remains confident as well when it comes to steering the two-time champions to at least the play-offs of the IPL XI.

Speaking on the sidelines of KKR jersey launch at a city hotel on Sunday, the new captain said: "What Gautam Gambhir has achieved for KKR is phenomenal. He's left a benchmark... Almost every season (under his captaincy), the team has qualified for the play-offs. That's the standard he had set.

"Being the leader of the team, the management will expect the same from me. So, I'm definitely aware of the expectations.

"Yes, there will be pressure. But you got to handle it. As captain, you are expected to lead your side into the play-offs and that's the least anybody can expect.

"I think I'm at a stage where I can this and get the best out of the team."

Talking about handling crisis situations, Karthik indicated that he might bat at a slot higher than where he did in the recent matches for India. "Things will depend a lot on where I bat.

"Obviously, I will bat at a different position than where I did in India matches... IPL is all about dealing with tricky situations, handling pressure... Two weeks back, I was able to do it and with just a week to go for our first match (in this IPL), I don't think I will treat it any differently.

"Everybody is here to do their best and I'm no different. Everybody has a role to play," he emphasised.

KKR, meanwhile, are confident of fielding both Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in their opener versus Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens on April 8.

With Mitchell Starc ruled out with stress fracture, England's Tom Curran's name has been doing the rounds as a possible replacement for the left-arm pacer.

The franchise is likely to make an official announcement on Monday.