​JAIPUR: Before the 2026 IPL kicked off, Ashok Sharma had a modest reward in mind for his hard work: upgrading his silver chain to a gold one. But his elder brother Akshay turned him down with a challenge: earn the India cap first. Ashok didn’t give up easily. Right before leaving to play for India A in the Tri Nation A Series in Sri Lanka, he cheekily reminded his brother about the upgrade again.The answer was still a firm not yet. He was told the gold would have to wait for the official India call-up.Now, that dream has finally come full circle. With his selection for the T20I series in Zimbabwe this July, the embargo has officially been lifted. Akshay has promised that once Ashok returns home from Bengaluru, where is playing Emerging Men’s Tournament, he is finally allowed to buy any gold chain of his choice.But now, thinking about the elusive India cap in his hands, jewelry has taken a backseat to sheer focus. Instead, the 24-year-old speedster is completely wrapped up in visualising his bowling plans and imagining his first step into the Indian dressing room. “Right now, my focus is strictly on preparation,” Sharma told TOI.On the cusp of his international debut, the pacer from Rajasthan is drawing on the wealth of knowledge gathered from his IPL journey, whether grinding as a net bowler, waiting in the wings or breaking into the playing XI. In a candid chat, he opens up about the drive behind his stellar domestic season and the crucial advice passed down by Gujarat Titans’ head coach Ashish Nehra. Excerpts:Bowling plans:When it comes to my preparation for this big opportunity, I am just going to stick to the basics that I have been following till now, work on my strengths, and focus completely on them. My main strength is hitting the hard length, which allows me to extract a good bounce, so I will keep my entire focus on bowling from right there. I will also remain adaptable to whatever the team demands at any given time, whether that means bowling slower balls or yorkers depends entirely on the match situation.Initial IPL years with KKR and RR:I truly value my time with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) because you get to learn something or the other from every place. I couldn’t get into the playing XI, but I was fortunate to be around legendary figures and international stars like Pat Cummins, Tim Southee, Shane Bond, Sandeep Sharma, and the then KKR bowling coach Bharat Arun sir.I vividly remember a conversation I had with Pat Cummins back in 2022 when I was with KKR. I asked him what else I should do to improve, and he asked me, ‘What is your strength?’ When I told him that I can hit the hard length anytime and bowl in that area whenever needed, he told me to make that one thing so good that even if someone wakes me up in the middle of the night, I should be able to bowl it flawlessly. He reminded me that every great bowler needs one defining weapon, just like Jasprit Bumrah or Lasith Malinga are known