Ashutosh Sharma has made sure his name won’t fade from public memory once the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League ends. The batter, who sprung into the limelight with his brilliant cameo in the Punjab Kings’ brilliant comeback win against Gujarat Titans earlier this year, was the star of the show yet again – this time against Mumbai Indians. And even though the Kings fell only 9 runs short of what could have been an incredible win on Thursday, Ashutosh’s blitzkrieg caught the attention of fans worldwide.
Coming to bat at no.8 in just the 10th over of the run-chase, with his side struggling at 77/6 in a 193-run chase, Ashutosh – almost single-handedly – ignited Punjab Kings‘ hopes for another comeback victory. With fellow uncapped player Shashank Singh (41), Ashtuosh added 34 runs before producing an onslaught on MI bowlers, smashing 61 off just 28 deliveries.
Of the many shots he played throughout his innings, one that left the fans on social media platforms amazed was his sweep for a six against one of the leading fast bowlers in the world, jasprit bumrah. The MI star had overstepped on the previous delivery, meaning the ball concerned was a free-hit. Naturally, it allowed Ashutosh to adopt an aggressive approach against the in-form Bumrah, and even as the bowler attempted a yorker, Ashutosh bent and connected just enough to send the ball sailing behind square for a magnificent six.
Watch: Ashutosh Sharma’s unbelievable six off Jasprit Bumrah
Fans were left in awe of the hit, and Ashutosh, growing in confidence with each passing shot, brought the chasing equation down to fairly gettable 25 off 18 deliveries. However, the batter couldn’t deliver the knock-out punch on MI, as he was dismissed off the first delivery of the 18th over – bowled by Gerald Coetzee – as a slower ball from the South African did the trick. The PBKS youngster, in a bid to clear the midwicket boundary, failed to time the ball to perfection and was caught by Mohammad Nabi.
Regardless, the batter walked off to a standing ovation from his teammates and the fans at Mullanpur, and even the opposition captain, Hardik Pandyasang praise for the PBKS star following the hard-fought win.
‘Unbelievable,’ says Hardik Pandya
Hardik praised Ashutosh Sharma for his immaculate timing, and stated that the batter has a good future.
“Unbelievable, playing the way he did and hitting the ball off the middle. (It is) great for his future. We did speak in the timeout about it, not about how we look, we will keep fighting and make sure (that) we don’t bowl the soft balls. Batsmen played good shots but we were soft in certain overs,” Hardik said.
Sam Curran, the PBKS stand-in captain, while expressing his disappointment at the loss, also reserved words of praise for Ashutosh, lauding his confidence against pacers.
“They have incredible confidence, you see a guy like Ashutosh having the confidence to play the sweeps and the big hits against pacers, it’s so great to watch them in action,” Curran said.
