Kartik's Caribbean heroics

The India A tour of the Caribbean in November 1999 went a long way towards firming up Murali Kartik's claims for Test selection. The left arm spinner was one of the few overt successes on that tour and the West Indian batsmen, fed on a staple diet of fast medium in their domestic arena, were simply clueless against his old fashioned virtues of flight and deception. [More]

Kartik's tour de force

The season opening Irani Trophy has always been a prime opportunity for Test aspirants to make statements of intent. Left arm spinner Murali Kartik would have fully aware of the boundless possibilities created by the timing of the contest. Mumbai won the toss and elected to make first use of the wicket at the Wankhede Stadium. The proceedings went Mumbai's way until Murali Kartik was introduced in the 16th over; with his sixth ball, he packed off the impetuous Vinayak Mane. Kartik chipped away persistently at the top order, coming off with an unchanged first spell of 19-5-36-4 from the Tata end. His spin twin, the offie, Sharandeep Singh took care of the tail as Mumbai settled at 260. [More]

Debuting with a flourish

Murali Kartik made his debut for Railways in the 1996-97 Ranji Trophy season at the age of twenty. In his first match against Madhya Pradesh at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi, Kartik bowled 16 tidy overs costing just 18 runs for the solitary wicket of Rajesh Chauhan. He had figures of 7-4-3-1 in the second innings, amidst a tense finish, as MP closed at 89/8 chasing 107 for victory. [More]

Glimpses of an allrounder in the making

Murali Kartik's allround abilities were on display in the Ranji Trophy tie against Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in his birthplace, Chennai in the 1998-99 season. Into his third season in domestic cricket, Kartik's bowling skills had been largely consigned to the relative obscurity of the Central Zone league. He seized this opportunity in the Super League against Tamil Nadu, one of the better sides in the country, to thrust himself firmly onto the national stage. [More]