Have to repay faith that Sunrisers have shown in me, says Karn

Leg-spinner Karn Sharma said he was merely looking to get picked at the IPL Auction and the huge price tag of 3.75 paid for him by Sunrisers Hyderabad had come as a pleasant surprise.

"Well, I wanted someone to bid for me. The moment it happened, I wasn't really bothered about my price. I knew that Sunrisers will show interest in me but Rs 3.75 crore. I had absolutely no idea that I will get the highest bid," Karn said on Thursday.

"I am delighted but at the same time my responsibility has increased. I have to repay the faith that Sunrisers have shown in me," he said.

The Railways leg-spinner feels that Kings XI Punjab showed interest in him as Piyush Chawla was taken by Kolkata Knight Riders.

"I believe there was a bidding war because Kings XI Punjab also needed a leg-spinner and Sanjay Bangar was at the bidding table. I have played in Railways under Bangar's captaincy and he is aware about my abilities. In any case, more than the price, you want to play matches. Sunrisers had given that opportunity earlier also and I am honoured to return to their fold," said Karn.

From being a Grade 3 employee of the Indian Railways to bagging a multi-crore deal, Karn has come a long way.

"I am proud to play for Railways and never had any complaints with facilities provided to us," said Karn.

In fact, Karn said that more than him, his siblings were glued to the television set.

"Actually more than me, my brother and sister were watching with a lot of intensity. My mother is a teacher and she was in school and father was in his shop," Karn said.

Having opened for Railways across all formats, Karn reckons that he can be called an all-rounder.

"I take my batting very seriously. I have scored a century and six fifties in Ranji Trophy. I prefer being known as an all-rounder. I am ready to bat up the order if the team management wants me to do so," says Karn.

Recently, the leg-spinner was selected in the probables list for the World T20 although he didn't make it in the final 15 he was happy at the initial selection.

"The selection in the probables list for World T20 was a huge boost for me. This meant that selectors are watching my performance. At the end of the day, a player would be known for his performance rather than price," Karn concluded.

Image: Karn Sharma

Photograph: BCCI