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Early international career Karthik was selected for his first Indian squad in August 2004 for the ODI team, after the selectors decided to cease using Parthiv Patel . He played another match in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy against Kenya , taking three catches as India persisted with Dravid's wicket-keeping for the majority of the English tour. Karthik was not required to bat as India only lost four wickets in their innings.

Karthik made his Parthiv Patel was dropped following a poor run of form with the gloves. He only managed 14 in two innings and two catches, but was praised for his wicket-keeping on a pitch with variable bounce and spin in which 40 wickets fell in two days playing time. Karthik tasted victory immediately as India scraped home by 13 runs. Karthik was retained for India s next engagement, a two-Test home series against South Africa. In a high-scoring draw in which both teams passed 450 in the first innings, Karthik managed only a solitary run in the First Test in Kanpur. In the Second Test in Calcutta, he scored 46 to help extend India s first innings lead to 106 runs, as the hosts completed an eight-wicket win. In the next match, he made only 10 and 9 as India collapsed and lost ten wickets on the final day of an otherwise high-scoring match 1280 runs had been scored for only 22 wickets in the first three innings.

Karthik continued to play for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy, but only scored 30 in his first four innings of the season. This dropped him down the pecking order as Patel was favoured as the reserve wicket-keeper on the 2006 tour to Pakistan. Immediately after the announcement, Karthik scored 134 against in a losing effort, but was unable to back up with any scores beyond 50 in his five remaining innings in the competition.

Karthik then had mixed results in the domestic one-day competitions. He scored only one half-century in six matches for Tamil Nadu, a 79, and one further fifty in three matches for South Zone, ending with a total of 209 runs at 23.22. after a campaign for India A during April in which he scored 134 runs at 33.50, including a man-of-the-match 75 runs against Newlands against South Africa, playing in his first Test in over a year. With regular opener suffering from a loss of form, Karthik opened the innings with , allowing Sehwag to bat in the middle order. He used his domestic experience to score 63 in the first innings, combining in a century opening stand, helping India to 414, enough for a first innings lead of 41. In the second innings, he scored an unbeaten 38, as the team suffered a batting collapse and were all out for 169, allowing the hosts to take the series 2 1 by five wickets.

Outside cricket Karthik took part in the dance reality show Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina partering with Nigaar Khan . Karthik married in 2007. References External links