Coimbatore: Indian cricketer KB Arun Karthik feels Test cricket will survive despite the popularity of T20. “I think white ball cricket and red ball cricket are totally different because you need a different set of skills to play both,” Arun told The Covai Post during his visit to the city to inaugurate the Sports for Champions cricket academy.

He was a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore during the 2011 IPL season and had played for Tamil Nadu from 2008-13. He now plays for Assam and is also captain of Madurai team in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.

During the chat he spoke at length on Test cricket, TNPL, IPL, ball tampering and the current Indian team captain Virat Kohli.

Q. Tell us about your journey with Madurai Super Giants as a captain in the Tamil Nadu Premier league?

A. First and foremost TNPL itself is a great platform for many cricketers. For Tamil Nadu, it has been a huge boost with three of our players-Washington Sundar, Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay – being selected in the current Indian team which proves how important TNPL can be as a platform.

Q. Michael Bevan from Australia is the coach for your team in TNPL. Your experience working with him?

Ans. Chatting with him was definitely a wonderful experience. He shared a few tactical points which I found very useful in my cricketing career.

Q. Your thoughts on CSK which is making a comeback after two years?

Ans. CSK has always been a champion when compared with other teams. The kind of support received by them and the amount of faith reposed by the owners help the players go out and perform. In the first year, the team had no great names except for Dhoni and Suresh Raina was still an upcoming player with Ashwin and Vijay flourishing from Chennai Super Kings. CSK has been a great platform not just for Tamil Nadu cricketers but for those across the country, including foreign players like Faf Du Plessis who flourished from CSK.

Q. With T20 Cricket becoming popular, do you think Test Cricket will survive?

Ans. I think white ball cricket and red ball cricket are totally different because you need a different set of skills to play both. Red ball has something for the bowlers and if you look you will see every cricket lover has Test cricket as a priority. I think Test cricket has its own flavour unlike T20 and will never die. The ICC has been doing great work in promoting Test Cricket.

Q. Tell us about your personal experience having been part of Royal Challengers Banglore along with players like Kohli and De Villiers during the 2011 IPL season?

Ans. Personally I had a great time with RCB as it expanded my belief system sharing the dressing room with these legends of modern day cricket. It gave me the confidence that I belong here and expanded my belief system is how I can put it across.

Q. In spite of having some of the biggest names, RCB has not been able to win the coveted title even once. Why?

Ans. RCB has always been a good side. We have played three out of 10 finals which in itself is a great achievement. It just happens that we have one bad game or one game which the other team played well. There are other teams which don’t qualify for the final four so I think it’s only a matter of time before we will see RCB win the title. RCB is a champion side.

Q. How would you rate Virat Kohli as a leader on winning the series in South Africa?

Ans. About Virat I would say that every generation has a leader and people get inspired by them. A good leader always has a vision and Virat too has one of taking Indian cricket to the next level. He wants the team to be No.1 across all formats. When you do something with purpose every morning it works and that’s why he has been successful across formats and globe. This is how I see him as a cricketer.

Q. Do you see India winning the 2019 World Cup?

Ans. Yes, without any doubt. Everybody can see that. 2019 is one year away and the momentum can shift but I also feel the Indian team is prepared and already have a vision of bringing home the World Cup again.

Q. Smith and Warner have been banned from all cricketing activities for one whole year. Do you think it’s too harsh considering the stature of these players?

Ans. After Clarke’s exit, the Australians had their backs against the wall but Smith, who himself had been in sublime form, managed to pull it all together. The team was doing great under him and definitely this incident would hit them hard considering the fact that both were key players in the Australian lineup. As a player getting banned for 12 months is truly harsh and affects the player psychologically.