He made his India debut in 2014.
“It was hellish work. But I kept going because I loved cricket,” Karn Sharma recalls in an exclusive interview with CricXtasy.
For cricketers coming from a non-sports background, one could only imagine the struggles they may have faced building their career to the top level. For Karn Sharma, it was no different despite the support from both of his parents in the sports field.
From playing on dusty streets and in cramped gullies with tennis balls, his journey had a humble beginning. But when he must’ve finally stepped on the giant cricket stadium, his childhood flashed as a dream unfolded in front of his eyes.
His mother, who played Badminton at the State level, saw the burning desire for cricket in Karn’s eyes. She knew his son was destined to play professional cricket.
Soon, both parents would say, “If you want to play for India, we’ll never stop you. Just go for it.”
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Turning back time close to two decades ago, a young boy in Uttar Pradesh was managing studies and district-level cricket.
His mornings started as early as 4:30 AM. Karn carried two heavy bags each day – one full of books, and the other full of hopes and dreams of donning the national jersey.
He reached the ground first for fitness sessions. He’d often miss the first lecture in school. Once the final bell in the school rang, Karn would rush to complete his tuition and end his day on the ground.
Moved by the challenges Karn faced, one of his teachers let him stay at their home, just a short distance from the stadium.
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At the tender age of 17, Karn joined the Railways hostel to play for their teams. Selection was often based on performances in district matches. He impressed a veteran, but it came with the risk of his life.
Mohammad Sir told his parents, “Your son is doing well in cricket. We’re hiring players at DLW [Diesel Locomotive Works, now BLW].”
Back in 2003, scouted players were often given government jobs. Karn took on the odd job of lifting heavy engine parts, while his mind stayed focused on the sweet sound of the ball hitting the willow and knocking over the middle stump with his spin bowling.
The next year, in 2004, Karn impressed Mr. Naveen Kumar during the very first trial. His performance was reported to the Railway Board, but he faced rejection as he hadn’t turned 18. Still, his grit and strong performances eventually changed his fate.
“So, I played the inter-railway tournament, performed well in trials, and finally got selected. It was decided. I had to find a way, because it wasn’t working out either from UP or from here.”
But the selection in 2005 brought a new challenge. Karn’s days still started in the wee hours with heavy lifting. This time, carrying the crushing weight of iron parts while facing the constant risk of a career-threatening injury.
“This was the struggle. Lifting heavy iron parts, moving things in the workshop. The supervisors knew I was a cricketer, so they’d say, ‘Finish this work quickly, then you can leave for practice.’ You [I] have to lift buffers for trains, massive iron parts. We used to go under trains and fit those parts. It was extremely risky work inside an engine!”
WATCH THE FULL KARN SHARMA EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW HERE
It took years of hard work, tears, and long hours sitting alone on the gloomy bench, with passing trains nearby, much like the story in the MS Dhoni biopic, before Karn was finally hired to play cricket full time. However, he kept his odd job until he reached the main goal.
“After playing Ranji in 2007, I finally left that job work. In 2009, I performed well and got picked for Central Zone and MCA,”
In 91 First Class games, the southpaw amassed just under 3K runs along with 257 wickets. In the shorter List A format, Karn played 116 matches. He garnered 1,700+ runs and 144 wickets.
Coming to the Indian Premier League (IPL), the 37-year-old has represented as many as four teams, namely, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and most recently, Mumbai Indians. In 90 IPL games, he has returned with 352 runs and 83 wickets. He has lifted the trophy thrice with three different teams – CSK in 2021, MI in 2017, and SRH in 2016.
During the IPL 2025, with MI’s blue and gold, Karn took seven wickets in five outings with a top spell of 3/23 against Rajasthan Royals.
However, Karn didn’t get ample opportunities in the India jersey. He played his only Test during the Australia 2014 tour, picking up four wickets in Adelaide. He took the wicket of England batter Joe Root in his only T20I outing. In the 50-over format, he played two games but returned wicketless in both matches. However, Karn Sharma is still proud of how far he has come in life.
“To be honest, I never even dreamed I’d play this much cricket. Playing for India was a dream. Coming from a place like Meerut, and playing in all three formats for India, that was never even in my thoughts.”
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