It is a reward for my hard work: Karn Sharma

CHENNAI: He played his part in India 'A' winning the quadrangular series in Australia, and on Tuesday Karn Sharma was named in the Indian side for the ODI series in England.
"The news is yet to sink in. I feel it is reward for the hard work that I have put in over the years," the 26-year-old told TOI on Tuesday.
Sharma feels the time spent with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during the IPL season had prepared him for the grind of international cricket.
"When you share the dressing room with the likes of Dale Steyn, Darren Sammy, David Warner etc, you are bound to learn a trick or two on how to gear up for a game," said Sharma, who pocketed 15 wickets from 14 outings at an impressive average of 25.06 in IPL-7.
Former India skipper and national selector K Srikkanth, who has been SRH's mentor, felt Sharma's selection has come at the right time. "I have seen him from close quarters. What has impressed me most about him is that he is a quick learner and has been performing consistently. Even on wickets which may not be conducive to spin, he can tie down batsmen with his impeccable line and length. That makes him such a useful player to have," said Srikkanth.
Sharma is no novice with the bat either and his all-round prowess could come handy in England. "I have always given due importance to every aspect of the game - be it my bowling, batting and fielding. Being an all-rounder also provides the captain with a lot of options," said Sharma.
Sharma's standout performance for India 'A' Down Under came against South Africa 'A'. "As a team what stood out for us was the consistency we showed right through the tournament.
The match against South Africa 'A' was a crucial one. With the ball I had done well, returning figures of 2-35. And, while chasing 276, we suffered a middle-order collapse. I was happy to do my bit with the bat. I scored 39 which helped us seal the match off the penultimate ball. More than the number of runs I scored on that day, I was happy that it came at a time when my team needed it most," he stressed.