The long apprenticeship of CSK’s latest recruit, Kartik Sharma

That morning, the Aravali Cricket Club on the outskirts of Jaipur sat inside a fog thick enough to blur faces at arm’s length.

It was around nine o’clock. With visibility close to zero, the academy students stacked their kit bags in one corner and waited it out, sipping warm beverages or slurping piping-hot instant noodles. Extreme weather conditions meant their regular training routine had gone for a toss. As the young cricketers engaged in banter, a car pulled up near the academy entrance.

The change was immediate.

Moments earlier, the youngsters had been joking around. Now, they rushed towards the ground, some scrambling to tie their shoelaces as they went. “ Come on, come on, Kartik bhaiya is gay… (Let’s get going, brother Kartik is here),” shouted one of the boys, as his friends gulped down the last of their noodles and jogged out to stretch.

Within minutes, the academy premises came alive. Kartik bhaiya parked his car at one end of the ground, slung a small backpack over his shoulder, and slipped into his routine, training under the watchful eye of his trainer, Vijay Golada.

That is how most mornings unfold for Kartik Sharma.

Ever since he was picked by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for Rs 14.2 crore, Kartik’s life has changed. Or so one would think. The shy 19-year-old refuses to see it that way. “I’m still the same,” he says with a smile, pausing briefly between sets of push-ups.

A finger injury forced him to miss the Super League stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Though he has resumed training, there is still no clarity on whether he will be fit in time for Rajasthan’s final two Ranji Trophy fixtures.

For now, Kartik’s focus lies elsewhere: making the most of his opportunity at CSK.

Breaking straight into the playing eleven will not be easy, particularly with two established wicketkeeping options in Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sanju Samson already in the squad.

His chances, then, may come as a specialist batter. Known for his ability to clear the ropes with ease, Kartik could strengthen CSK’s middle order and grow into a finisher. “I’m not thinking too far ahead. I have just resumed my training, and the plan is to take things step by step,” Kartik tells Sports stars.

Hailing from Bharatpur, a small town in Rajasthan best known for its bird sanctuary, Kartik is not particularly articulate and often searches for words. That hesitation, however, disappears the moment he walks out to bat.

During the 2024–25 season, Kartik captained Rajasthan’s Under-19 side and stood out in the Vinoo Mankad and Cooch Behar Trophy. He scored 492 runs in the one-day competition, including a double century. A run of consistent performances earned him a spot in the senior team. Across eight First-Class matches, Kartik has scored 479 runs, while adding 445 runs in nine List A games and 334 runs in 12 T20s. The numbers might have been higher but for the injury.

Those setbacks, Kartik says, have shaped him.

“When I started playing cricket, my father took me to an academy where coaches felt I was too small and did not have the talent. That was an early setback. But my father did not give up,” he says.

His father, Manoj, a die-hard cricket fan, and his mother, Radha, did everything they could to ensure their son pursued the sport. In a small town like Bharatpur, where resources were limited, the path was never easy. With support from Bharatpur District Cricket Association secretary Shatrudhan Tiwary, Manoj ensured Kartik received the right exposure.

“My father did everything that he could to make me a cricketer. It was very challenging for him, since resources were limited and we were not financially strong. But that was never a deterrent for him,” Kartik says.

Realising there were few quality academies nearby, Manoj took a four-year-old Kartik to the academy of Lokendra Singh Chahar, father of India international Deepak Chahar, in Agra, about 56 kilometres away. “Even Lokendra sir wasn’t convinced whether I would be able to play with senior boys. I was the youngest, so he worried the ball might hit me. But after watching me bat, he took me along,” Kartik says, smiling.

Kartik Sharma as a young batter, helmet on, learning the game one session at a time.
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Special arrangement

Chahar remembers those days well. Initially hesitant, the seasoned coach soon realised the youngster had something special. “His speciality was that he could hit sixes at will. He was fearless, which was rare at that age,” Chahar says.

Once he was convinced of Kartik’s potential, Chahar enrolled him at the academy. “Despite financial challenges, my father sent me to Agra, where we rented a house. I trained under Lokendra sir through the week, returned to Bharatpur for a few days, and attended school. That’s how I balanced cricket and studies,” says Kartik, who studied till Class 12 and now hopes to complete his graduation.

This routine continued for more than a decade. “I still visit sir’s academy now and then and train there,” he says. “For a young cricketer, it’s easy to get carried away by early success or weighed down by failure. Lokendra sir took care of my mental conditioning too.” Kartik recalls how his coach would spend an hour after training every day, working on mindset. “He told me to aim big and focus on fulfilling those dreams. That has helped me over the years.”

It came at a cost. Manoj sold a plot of land and farmland in Bahnera village, while Radha sold her jewellery to support their son’s training. Through harsh winters and unforgiving summers, Manoj accompanied Kartik to tournaments across the country.

Kartik Sharma, alongside his father Manoj, whose presence has followed every stage of the journey.
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Kartik recalls one such event when they went hungry. “It was during an invitational tournament in Gwalior,” he says. Manoj had expected the competition to end in a couple of days, but Kartik’s performances carried the team to the title. On the eve of the final, father and son had no money left for food. “It’s because of my parents’ sacrifice that I am here today,” Kartik says.

Chahar agrees. “Kartik would train five to six hours a day, but the self-belief and fearlessness came from his father. He sacrificed everything to make his son a cricketer. It proves that if you want something wholeheartedly, things eventually fall into place,” he says.

Kartik Sharma during his early training years, when the routine was already in place.
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While playing local tournaments in Agra and Bharatpur, Kartik met Vikas Yadav, co-owner of Aravali Cricket Club, by chance. “In one tournament in Jaipur, a team was short of a player and called me in. I scored 60 off 20 balls. Vikas bhaiya watched that game and offered me a place at his academy for free,” Kartik says.

At 14, Kartik moved to Jaipur, emerged as the top batter in the privately run Aravali Premier League, and stayed on at Vikas’ academy. “I lived at the hostel, and Vikas bhaiya ensured I had everything I needed. Even Lokendra sir felt it would be better if I stayed here and appeared for Rajasthan’s age-group trials,” Kartik says.

Over the last five years, Kartik has steadily chased his dream. From being another promising youngster, he has become one of the most talked-about cricketers from Rajasthan.

A young Kartik Sharma during his early years in Agra, when cricket still shared space with everyday routines.
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At the Aravali club, he trained alongside Akash Singh, Ashok Sharma and Mukul Sharma, all of whom earned big IPL contracts this year.

“We don’t even talk about the IPL,” Kartik says, smiling. “We spend time together and just enjoy our cricket.”

When in Jaipur, Kartik stays in rented accommodation close to the academy with five other players. He is a keen movie buff. “I love watching movies. Whenever I get time, I watch films with Ashok bhaiya and the others. I like action movies,” he says. “A few weeks ago, we watched Dhurandhar and loved it.”

He is not much of a foodie, preferring a disciplined diet that aligns with his training regime. Mornings, after all, arrive quickly here.

For now, though, none of that seems urgent. There is training to finish, a routine to return to, another morning to begin much the same way as the last. Kartik has learned, early on, that turning up matters more than where it might eventually lead.

Published on Jan 14, 2026