Under the heavy clouds of Baroda’s 460/8 in the first innings, Karan Sharma’s all-round display (79 runs and 3/55) was the only silver lining for Railways. The only standout performer for his team, it was his legspin that accounted for whatever little trouble Baroda skipper Connor Williams and Azhar Bilakhia faced on their way to individual centuries on Monday. Williams, who finally got out to Sharma on Tuesday, popping a catch to Sanjay Bangar at short leg, was surprised by the 22-year-old’s bowling style. “He has a very deceptive and quick action. His googly was especially difficult to read. He was the surprise package for us since we haven’t played him before,” said Williams, adding, “Considering the wicket, he bowled better than Murali (Kartik).”It would be unfair to draw a comparison between the two at this stage, but on the basis number of overs bowled — Kartik bowled 33 overs while Karan bowled 28 — it’s hard to believe that Karan is a part-timer. Railways coach Abhay Sharma, however, sees an all-rounder in Karan, a player he had spotted from the u-19s.“There was something in him that was different. I saw him for the first time playing an u-19 match for the Railways. He was also in the u-22 Railways team last year, where his performance was impressive. When we decided to play him against J&K, questions were asked, but he scored a century on debut,” said Sharma. Since that break, Sharma played the remaining six matches, scoring 300 runs in seven innings. But his four wickets last season don’t quite reflect the regularity with which he’s bowling this season. “We used to give him four-five overs at most. But this year we are trying to develop him as an all-rounder. We want somebody who can bowl well in tandem with (Murali) Kartik alongside (Kulamani) Parida,” said Sharma.And the number three batsman with the capability of rolling his arm over for such long spells also suits modern cricket’s requirements. “Nowadays, there’s no place for only a proper bowler or a batsman. With so much of limited overs cricket being played, you have to develop every aspect of the game. Karan has it in him, but he needs to be more consistent, both with the bat and ball,” asserts Sharma. For the time being, though, the transformation is underway without the rigours. “It’s important that he doesn’t realise he needs to stress on his bowling. That might affect his main strength (batting). At times I don’t make him bowl at the nets at all. That reminds him of his primary role as the team’s number three batsman. And when he comes to bowl after doing well with the bat, making him bowl is like utilising his confidence to the maximum. After all, not all the eleven players of a team perform every day. That’s what he did today,” added Sharma.
