Slept hungry, sold land and jewelries: How familys sacrifices shaped Kartik Sharmas IPL dream

New Delhi: For promising wicketkeeper-batter from Rajasthan Kartik Sharma, playing cricket had always been a dream. From picking up the bat at merely 2.5 years of age to realising his dream getting fulfilled with an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract, life couldn't prove to better for the teenager.

On December 16, Tuesday at the IPL auction in Abu Dhabi, five-time title winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) placed a massive bet on the 19-year-old cricketer offering him a Rs 14.2 crore contract with one of most celebrated franchises in the cash-rich league making him the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history.

For the budding player, the cricketing dream wasn't just restricted to himself but his entire family was entangled in his passion becoming a reality and fulfilling what he always dreamt of. For his undying passion, Kartik's family made a lot of sacrifices as they witnessed huge potential in their son right from a tender age.

Hailing from Bharatpur, his father Manoj, who earned a meagre amount monthly which could just fulfill the daily expenses, it was a tough call to make whether to lend his assets for his son's dream or wait for some magic to happen.

Manoj, who himself was an aspiring cricketer but his journey was cut short by an injury, wanted his son to fulfill it for him and the entire family. Thinking of a dream and fulfilling it came at a cost but the entire family stood by their son's dream of making it big in the sporting world.

For sponsoring Kartik's training and tournaments, the family decided to let go of their plots and farmland in a nearby village which they owned for years and earned some of it through inheritance and some through their hard work. When this didn't prove enough, his mother Radha decided to sell her jewelry to make Kartik a cricketer and their sacrifices paid with the gigantic IPL contract the lad was offered.

Narrating an incident, his father revealed that he along with Kartik travelled to Gwalior for a tournament with limited money which only sufficed stay for four or five matches. But Kartik played brilliantly in the tournament which helped his team reach the final and extended their stay. With no money left, the father and son spend their night without food in a shelter and it was only after the prize money they received for winning the final, they could go back home.