In a thrilling display of grit and determination, the Punjab Kings snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Gujarat Titans on Thursday. While youngster Shashank Singh’s knock of 61 runs was crucial, it was the heroics of relatively unknown batsman Ashutosh Sharma that stole the show.
Coming in as an Impact Player with Punjab’s hopes hanging by a thread, Ashutosh Sharma rose to the occasion like a seasoned campaigner. The Gujarat Titans, led by skipper Shubman Gill’s knock of 89 runs, had set a challenging target of 200 runs. However, Punjab’s chase started poorly, with wickets falling in quick succession.
Enter Ashutosh Sharma, a 25-year-old batsman known for his explosive batting in domestic cricket. With Punjab needing 50 runs in less than 5 overs and the score at a precarious 150-6, Ashutosh was brought in as a last resort, replacing Arshdeep Singh.
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Living up to his reputation for aggressive batting, Ashutosh Sharma unleashed a whirlwind knock of 30 runs off just 17 balls, laced with three boundaries and a towering six. His power-hitting not only brought the required run rate down but also crucially provided valuable support to the well-set Shashank Singh.
Elated by his match-winning contribution, Ashutosh Sharma expressed his gratitude to the Punjab Kings management for believing in him. “I would like to thank the PBKS team for believing in me so much. Feels so good to perform and more importantly the team won, so I am happy about it,” he stated.
He further revealed the unwavering faith shown in him by his captain, Shikhar Dhawan, during the tense situation. “Shikhar paaji believed in me so much. I was normal and kept believing that I can do it,” Ashutosh exclaimed.
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Ashutosh also acknowledged the support he received from coaches Sanjay and Amay Khurasiya, crediting them for instilling the belief that he could be a match-winner. “To Sanjay sir I will thank him so much and he believed in me. He told me a lot of good things. I was normal and believed that I can do it because I have won games for my home team. Back home I was training with Amay Khurasiya sir. He told me when you get a chance you will become a hero,” he expressed.
Ashutosh’s quickfire knock, combined with Shashank Singh’s brilliant batting, stitched together a crucial 43-run partnership in just 23 balls. This ultimately propelled Punjab towards a dramatic victory with one ball to spare, leaving the cricketing world in awe of the young batsman’s heroics.
