Kartik Sharma (ANI Photo)
He truly became elemental to the chatter last year when his explosive six-hitting ability during pre-season trials caught the eye of various IPL franchises, culminating in a Rs14.20 crore contract with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Now, at just 20 years of age, he finds himself thrust with the bigger responsibility of leading the senior Rajasthan side. Speaking on the eve of the clash against Railways, Kartik opened up about taking over the captaincy reins and said, “I have captained Rajasthan during Under-19 days. Kartik’s gritty knock of 42 off 75 balls in the second innings against Tamil Nadu showcased a new dimension to his batting.
He credits his high-stakes stint under CSK umbrella for sharpening his match awareness and instilling the patience required to play according to the situation A definitive piece of advice from franchise veteran MS Dhoni has shifted his approach away from brute force toward timing and technical precision. Bhaiya told me to focus on timing. He said that you aren’t someone who hits power shots, whatever your timing is, that is your power, so play according to that,” he shared.
Following left-arm spinner Manav Suthar’s departure to New Zealand for India ‘A’ duty, the young ‘keeper-batter steps up to lead a side riding high on confidence, having secured three points via a crucial first-innings lead in their opener against Tamil Nadu in Group ‘D’ fixture. “When I went to Chennai I was a little injured and that is why my batting wasn’t going very well. Rajasthan enter the fixture holding a distinct psychological edge from their previous outing, while Railways arrive looking to bounce back hard after conceding a first-innings lead to Uttarakhand.
I will try to make the team as comfortable as I can. There are a few seniors while most of them are my contemporaries in the side, so I will ensure I remain as humble with them as possible.”