New Delhi, Nov 10: KL Rahul and Karn Sharma's hard work and prayers have been answered. The Karnataka wicket-keeper batsman and the Uttar Pradesh legspinner will be on the flight to Australia later this month for India's four-Test tour.
Rahul, who considers Dravid as his icon, is talked of highly by 'The Wall' himself, who had backed Rahul's inclusion for the tour of Australia.
"He has scored over 1000 runs in the domestic season, looks in really good form with twin hundreds in the Duleep final, so if you are going to give a youngster an opportunity, it's good to pick him if he's in good form and actually playing well," Dravid told ESPNCricinfo. "You are picking him, at least initially, as a back-up opener."
Meet India's new would-be Test cricketers - KL Rahul and Karn Sharma
The hard work and efforts of Karnataka wicketkeeper batsman Rahul and Uttar Pradesh legspinner Karn have been answered with a place in the Test squad for Australia.
Son of the NITK Engineering College dean Dr KN Lokesh, the 22-year-old wicketkeeper batsman Rahul started his cricket when he was 11 - honing his skills behind and in front of wickets under the watchful eyes of Karnataka State Cricket Academy (KSCA) coaches Samuel Jayaraj Muttu and Devdas Nayak.
"He is a cricketer with commitment and discipline. His hard work and efforts will lead him to the goal he wants to reach," Muttu had said when Rahul was selected to play under-19 World Cup in 2010 following his 276 runs at an average of 55.20 in the 2008-09 Vinoo Mankad Trophy.
For the technically sound nature of his batting, which has earned Rahul 2100 first-class runs in 27 matches, including six hundreds and eight fifties at an average of 51.21, he has often been compared to his idol Dravid.
"I feel really happy when I am compared to Dravid. I used to watch his batting since I was a child," Rahul had told Cricketnext in an interview. It's a big compliment for me. I can't express the feeling when my name appears in the same sentence as Dravid's, someone who has been so successful and is called 'The Wall' of Indian cricket. It's a morale-booster for me and increases my confidence."
The performance which perhaps prompted the selectors to tick Rahul's name came in the Duleep Trophy final, where he struck centuries in both the innings for South Zone. But it will be a 'Test' fair notches above than what Rahul has experienced so far when he travels to Australia as India's third specialist opener in the squad.
Dravid, in fact, had called the inclusion of both Rahul and Karn in the squad before BCCI's announcement.
After making his T20 debut for India during the tour of England earlier this year, Karn, 27, is now on the brink of receiving his Test cap should he get a chance to be in the playing XI in Australia. Chances are that he will.
"Wrist spinners have a greater chance to succeed in Australia especially if they bowl slightly quicker in the air and have a good googly," Dravid told ESPNCricinfo. "I just feel if you want to win Test matches in Australia and you have a quality wrist spinner, you give yourself a great chance."
The man from UP is regarded as an allrounder in the domestic circuit, where he made his first-class debut in 2007, but he will be touring Australia purely as a leg-break bowler.
Railways bowler Karn, who possesses a good googly, has taken 66 wickets in 34 first-class games at an average of 28.87, including his best of 8 for 97 against Rajasthan in the 2012-13 season. That year he was also named the 'Best Under-25 Cricketer' in the country.
India squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, K.L. Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Mohd. Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron.
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