Dinesh Karthik had hardly begun to walk when Sachin Tendulkar made his first-class debut. In a few days' time, both will be sharing the same dressing-room. Karthik talks to Siddhartha Vaidyanathan about his initial reaction when he heard about his selection and looks ahead to the upcoming one-day challenges:

On hearing the news of his selection
The news came during the last four-day game of the Zimbabwe tour. I was wicketkeeping when Sandeep Patil, the coach, signalled a thumbs-up sign from the dressing-room. Just like everyone else I had a bit of hope about being selected. But it was still a huge surprise.

On playing at international level
I am just going to stick to whatever I have done till now. I think I can succeed at international level if I continue doing the basics well. And I have the confidence to do that.

On batting at No. 7
All my life I have batted at No. 6 or 7, and I am used to that slot. I know that the position demands shifting between hitting the big shots and rotating the strike with the tail. A number of my scores have come while batting with the tail. So if I happen to be in such a situation, it won't be something new.

On his trip to Zimbabwe with India A
The pitches were seaming and are much more bouncy than in India. It helped me in both departments. Also, I had a chance to keep wicket to Sairaj Bahutule, one of the best legspinners in India, and it was a good learning experience. I have kept to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in practice games, but keeping in match situations really counts.

On whether wicketkeeping affects his batting
If I am keeping well it has a good effect on my batting. Sometimes it works the other way as well. There are days when I am really happy with both the batting and the keeping. It is finally all about confidence.

On being in the same team as Sachin Tendulkar
I get goosebumps whenever I think of sharing the same dressing-room with Sachin. When it actually happens, I will pinch myself and make sure I am still not dreaming. All these guys - Sachin, Sourav and Rahul - were my heroes when I was growing up. It is an unbelievable feeling to be playing in the same team. I'm also looking forward to meeting Adam Gilchrist and Graham Thorpe.