“Nitish bhai told me that I had to go back no matter what” - Karan Sharma on battling injury to lift UP to thrilling victory

Karan Sharma, who battled a wrist injury to lift Uttar Pradesh to a two-wicket win over Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024, has revealed that skipper Nitish Rana urged him to go back after he retired hurt. He hailed the captain and added that the leader’s backing gave him confidence that he could do the job for the team.

25-year-old Karan scored a defiant 67* off 173 balls as UP chased down a target of 195 against Mumbai on Monday, January 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to register a memorable win in the Elite Group B Ranji Trophy match. The right-hander retired hurt when he was on 47, with UP’s score at 145 for 4. However, he was back at the crease after taking an injection after the team slipped to 154/7

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karan said that he had been nursing the injury for a while, which only got worse as he kept batting in the match against Mumbai. On skipper Nitish Rana’s role in his match-winning knock, he elaborated:

“When I went off, Nitish [Rana] bhai told me that I had to go back no matter what. He motivated me a lot that I had to go back. So when the captain says that, as a player, you know you have to do it for the team. When I felt a bit better and that I could defend, I knew I could do it.”

Due to the wrist injury, Karan was having difficulty moving his left hand freely. Hence, he was defending deliveries. However, when Akshdeep Nath fell for 28, UP were 176/8. Karan knew he had to open up after that.

"When Aksh got out, I mustered some courage and told myself I have to do it somehow. I held the bat very tight, and the situation was such that I had to take that chance. Luckily, there was an off-spinner bowling, and I thought I'll swing no matter what," he added.

Karan struck five fours and two sixes in his resilient knock to help UP overcome Mumbai’s stubborn resistance.

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Karan Sharma’s career stats

A right-handed batter and off-spinner, the 25-year-old all-rounder has featured in 15 first-class matches so far, scoring 507 runs at an average of 25.35, with one hundred and two fifties. With the ball, he has picked up 22 wickets at an average of 40.54, with a best of 4/46.

Karan has also played 24 List A games and 27 T20 matches, scoring 486 and 608 runs respectively. He has nine wickets in List A matches and 10 scalps in the T20 format.