 Karthik made his debut at the first-class level in late-2002 against Baroda, playing as a wicket-keeper and batting at No. 8, where he scored 37. He batted throughout the round-robin phase in five matches, scoring 179 runs at an average of 35.80 with a top score of 88 * against Uttar Pradesh in his second match. This innings helped Tamil Nadu to avoid an outright defeat, hanging on for a draw with one wicket in hand. However his form tapered off after this match and he failed to pass 20 again during the season. He took 11 catches, but due to his repeated wicket-keeping errors, he was dropped for the final matches.
