Former India spinner Murali Kartik has shared insights into his cricketing journey, attributing his inspiration to West Indies cricket and the legendary Sir Garfield Sobers. “Look, I’ve had the good fortune of taking up the sport because of West Indies cricket, to be very honest. For me, Sir Garfield (Sobers) was a great inspiration. I don’t know if many people know about that, but I took up the sport because of West Indies cricket, and Sir Garfield Sobers was the inspiration,” Kartik was quoted as saying to ANI. What Murali Kartik Said About Indian Cricketers? The left-arm spinner, who later represented India, expressed his gratitude for having Bishan Singh Bedi and Maninder Singh as mentors. “As and when I became a left-arm spinner, I was lucky enough that I had the great Bishan Bedi and Maninder Singh as my mentor and guru. So for me, it’s just been an absolutely brilliant journey,” he added. Reflecting on his career, which spanned over two decades, Kartik considered himself blessed to play alongside some of India’s finest cricketers. “God was kind enough, I ended up playing the sport for twenty-six long years at various levels. I was also very lucky that I played possibly in one of the best generations with the likes of Sachin (Tendulkar), (Virender) Sehwag, Rahul (Dravid), (VVS) Laxman, Sourav (Ganguly), Zaheer (Khan), Ajit (Agarkar), (Javagal) Srinath, (Anil) Kumble, Harbhajan (Singh), the three of us as spinners, so, I can’t ask for more, (Mohammed) Azharuddin was my captain at one stage. So it’s just been a really nice journey,” he said. On ‘The Great Indian Cricket Show’, Kartik also discussed storytelling in cricket, emphasising that behind every performance lies a tale of sacrifice and inspiration. “Every story has a backstory, and the cricketers we watch or are inspired by. They’ve all had a story, even the other ones who aren’t talked about. I think all of them have a story,” he said. He added, “With the help of explanations regarding statistics and all the technology, I think it should be a wonderful view because, at the end of the day, that is what inspires us. We all love a good story, and I always say this in sports: there is a lot of blood, sweat, and sacrifice involved, which any sports person has made, whether it’s cricket or otherwise. So you have that story, and what has happened or transpired from it. I think that making a difference is what I feel.” (With inputs from ANI)