May 24

'Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him.'

That's not quite what Dinesh Karthik said, but he pointed if people were still talking about him - either for or against - he had managed to stay 'relevant'.

Despite being overlooked for India's final ODI series - against Australia at home - before the World Cup, Karthik pipped Rishabh Pant to the back-up wicketkeeper spot for the global tournament. It divided opinion, but Karthik felt he was satisfied as long as he remained in the conversation.

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"I wouldn't still be playing if it weren't for the blessings of my friends and family," Karthik told PTI before leaving for England. "Good or bad, if people still talk about you it means that you have managed to stay relevant. It is extremely satisfying that I have managed to stay relevant all these years and still trying hard to be part of the team."

Karthik, however, also admitted that he was surprised at his exclusion from India's ODI squad for the Australia series, but felt that his successes over a long period contributed to his selection.

"I was a bit shocked (on missing out), but I had faith that you know if it is meant to be, it is meant to be," Karthik said. "In the end, I was picked for my performances over the last two years.

"I have batted in various positions (over the last 24 months) and I have had decent success in those positions. But the key is not for me to look back at the last two years, the greatest tournament is going to happen and I now have the opportunity to play there."

'Asghar Afghan is still my captain'

Asghar Afghan's removal as Afghanistan's ODI captain less than two months before the World Cup had garnered criticism from some of the team's senior players, but his replacement Gulbadin Naib quelled any murmurs of disharmony within the team, saying he still considered Asghar as his captain.

"Asghar Afghan is still my captain," Naib told ICC. "We played our last few games against Ireland and Scotland, and he helped me a lot. He guided me. He's not just another player for me, he's still my captain right now.

"I want support from him. Not just him, but [Mohammad] Nabi, Rashid [Khan] and all the guys who have a lot of experience. All of us have one goal: we want to play for Afghanistan and play as a team, whoever the captain is."

Afghanistan have warm-up games scheduled against Pakistan and England before they open their campaign on June 1 against Australia.