Murali Kartik is an Indian cricketer who sporadically represented the Indian cricket team since 2000. He is a specialist slow left arm orthodox bowler known for his loopy trajectory and ability to spin and bounce, but has found international selection blocked by the presence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
He is also a left handed batsman, and although he has had some success with the bat at first-class level with 11 half-centuries, he has not been able to repeat this at international level. In his early years in cricket, Kartik was a medium pacer, before switching to a left arm finger spinner in the classical mould, Kartik grew up trying to emulate past Indian orthodox spinners Bishen Singh Bedi, Maninder Singh and Venkatapathy Raju.
He also garnered attention for what was perceived to be a fiery attitude, but took pride in Kapil Dev saying "I have never seen a player with such an attitude towards the game in my 20 years of international cricket." Kartik made his first class debut for Railways in the Ranji Trophy in 1996/97, against Vidarbha, and marked his debut with a hat trick in the first innings, finishing with 10/55. He ended the season with 16 wickets at 19.37, and 185 runs at 20 including a 74, but was overlooked for the Central Zone selection for the Duleep Trophy.
The following season he managed 14 wickets at 18.42, but was dropped in the later stages of the tournament. He played more regularly in 1998/99, taking 29 wickets in seven matches at 19.3 to be the 13th highest wicket-taker. He was rewarded with selection for Central Zone and claimed 7/95 in the final to help them defeat West Zone in Aurangabad to claim the Duleep Trophy, and was the leading wicket-taker during the tournament.