In 2007-08, when Railways team was going through a transitional phase, then coach Abhay Sharma was looking to blood in youngsters. He spotted U-19 all-rounder Karn Sharma, who was stocky and did not have the appearance of a fit athlete. But what impressed Abhay was the youngster's fearlessness.
Abhay, now coaching Himachal Pradesh, knew that this lad had something in him. Not that he predicted Karn would go on to play for India as a leg-spinner as the boy considered himself as a batsman first when he was selected for the Railways team.
Seven years later, Abhay is a happy and satisfied man. His hardwork with the youngster has finally paid off since Karn, the leg-spinner, has made it to the Indian team for the important tour of Australia. For the record, the Sunrisers Hyderabad player has also been picked in Team India for last two ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Karn, who was boarding a flight to Kolkata from Nagpur on Monday, told dna that he was happy with the development. "It is a very good thing. I have got a chance and I hope to deliver. I will try to continue what I am doing. As far as the preparations for Australia is concerned, I have my focus on the next two ODIS against Sri Lanka," he said.
His coach at Railways, Abhay was ecstatic. "I can't express the feeling. It is fantastic. The years of hard work is paying off. The hours of practice sessions and the one-to-one sessions are proving to be fruitful. I am thankful that that the selectors have given him a chance and I hope he will justify it," Abhay said from Delhi.
When Abhay drafted a 19-year-old Karn into the Railways side, it did not go well with a couple of senior players. "I took him straight into the Ranji team after watching him in U-19. There was huge pressure since we had to ignore a couple of seniors in the team. The youngster straightaway delivered with a century on debut batting at No. 7 on a seaming Karnail Singh Stadium track against J&K. We won that game," recalled Abhay.
The coach also revealed Karn's transformation from batsman to bowler. "During one of our sessions, I understood that he could grasp things well as a bowler. He started bowling slowly, understanding things better and implementing those plans better. It was only three years back that we concentrated more seriously on his leg spin. His release points, googly, flipper and others were turning out to be successful," he said.
"I knew he was a different bowler earlier, but we worked on his accuracy, trajectory, loop and flipper. He has got a different action that helps him to be more accurate. He knows his job and understands his role in the team well. I am confident he will do well if he is given the responsibility in Australia," Abhay added.
Another challenge for Abhay was to work on Karn's diet, telling him to stay away from oily preparations. Karn comes from a middle-class family. However, he got a job in Railways, which is usually not easy. "We gave him the job straight away. Everything fell in place for him. The file was moving quick," added Abhay.
Abhay felt that Karn can do well in Australia. "He is a bowler who bowls a tight line, turns a little and bowls googly.
A plus factor for Karn in his maiden Test tour is the presence of Sanjay Bangar, Indian team's assistant coach. It was under Bangar that Karn made his Ranji debut.
