After years of IPL infamy, Ashutosh Sharma storm validates PBKS fans' missing the forest for the trees
'Ashutosh' refers to one who instantly fulfills wishes and is easily gratified, qualities befitting Punjab Kings' (PBKS) latest sensation Ashutosh Sharma.
With a wretched IPL history of only two playoff appearances in 16 seasons, PBKS have been the league's biggest disappointment. Yet, in Ashutosh, they may have finally discovered someone who has them dreaming with his ability to pull off far-fetched fantasies.
Picked up at his base price of ₹20 lakh, the 25-year-old has come out of nowhere to become the shining star in Punjab's otherwise dismal season. The right-handed lower-order batter has given a new meaning to the term 'last man standing' in his first four IPL appearances.
After warming the benches for the first three outings, Ashutosh finally got an opportunity to showcase his prowess in PBKS' clash against Gujarat Titans (GT). Yet, the situation he was tasked with couldn't have been stiffer, with his side requiring an improbable 50 off 27 deliveries. After an iffy start, the youngster finally settled in and found his grove, smashing a magical 31 off 17 to bring the equation down to only seven needed from the final over.
Despite being dismissed off the first ball of the last over, Ashutosh had done enough for PBKS to pull a rabbit out of the hat and secure a three-wicket win with a ball to spare. Yet, several fans dismissed it as just a flash in the pan.
A rinse and repeat in PBKS' next encounter against SRH made Ashutosh's stocks grow exponentially. With 69 off 27 needed for a victory, the Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer produced another gem to finish on 33* from 15 deliveries despite a two-run loss.
Another 16-ball 31 in his next stint against RR cemented him as PBKS' Messiah for the 2024 IPL season. While the result was another loss, a fourth in the season, it made the long-suffering Punjab fans forget about the 'IPL 2024' forest and savor the tree that is 'Ashutosh Sharma'.
Mumbai Indians Mayhem and 'That' shot off Jasprit Bumrah
After establishing himself as the 'Miracle Man' for PBKS in his opening three IPL games, Ashutosh Sharma enhanced his reputation further against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Mullanpur last night.
As has almost become the routine with PBKS seemingly forever, the side was on their way to another meek surrender at 14/4 in their run-chase of 193. It soon became 77/6 when Ashutosh entered the crease.
Yet, no one from the home crowd left the arena, evidence of the belief this youngster had instilled in them. And, yes, he delivered again, bigger, longer, and better to flip the impossible into reality.
The equation that read 116 off 64 upon Ashutosh's entry became 28 off 24 in a jiffy, as he mauled his way to a maiden IPL half-century. Amidst all the finesse, brute force, and clutchness on display was 'That' shot off ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
With 80 runs still required for victory, Ashutosh pulled off the unthinkable, a sweep six off Jasprit Bumrah that sailed over the backward square leg region, drawing oohs and ahhs from the joyous crowd. This was against the season's leading wicket-taker, a bowler even the best of batters are relieved to play out.
And Ashutosh had a sheepish smile and a sense of contentment after producing the unthinkable. He also spoke about the shot post-match and said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo:
"That was a dream to sweep Bumrah for a six and it came off today. I have been practicing these shots, and I played it against the best bowler in the world."
Yet, all good things must come to an end, and Ashutosh's miraculous display faced a similarly sad ending. The youngster fell for a 28-ball 61 and PBKS fell short by nine runs.
As sorry as a 2-5 record in seven games appears, PBKS fans held their heads high and have started to believe that a turnaround is not far off, thanks to 25-year-old Ashutosh Sharma.
Ashutosh Sharma's transformation - A life lesson for cricketers and beyond
While Ashutosh Sharma may be the talk of the IPL universe now, it has been anything but smooth sailing for him to reach this point.
Like several young Indian cricketers, Ashutosh had to stay away from his parents from a young age to enhance his skills and pursue his dream. He underwent financial struggles and even had to take up umpiring at local levels for a meal.
Finally, Ashutosh rose through the various levels to debut at the 2018 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Yet, destiny wasn't too kind to him, as he fell out of the Madhya Pradesh set-up in 2020 without a justifiable reason despite finishing as their second-leading scorer the previous year.
Ashutosh spoke about the difficulties he endured during that period and how he even went into depression.
"In 2019 I scored 84 runs in my last game for MP [against Puducherry]. Then next year, there was a professional coach who came in and he had his likes and dislikes. He did not like me and sat me out of the team. Main bada depression me aa gaya tha [I went into depression]. That was the Covid time, so only 20 people used to travel, and I used to stay back at the hotel," said Ashutosh [quoted by ESPNcricinfo].
"I stayed at the hotel for one to two months. I was not even able to see the ground. All I did was go to the gym and come back to the room. I got really frustrated and slipped into depression. It was tough to come out of that. I kept thinking, where did I go wrong? I could not sleep for days. No one even said anything. I was driven out of the set-up without explanation. Those two to three years were pretty bad," he added.
Finally, his cricketing career took off again with the Railways and the rest has been history.
Ashutosh made history when he broke Yuvraj Singh's record for the fastest T20 half-century by an Indian with an 11-ball 50 against Arunachal Pradesh in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
With the ability to manufacture big hits at will in all parts of the ground, Ashutosh has all the makings to become the next great finisher in Indian cricket. For the time being. the rising star will look to convert his magical performances to better team climaxes, similar to his namesake, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker's masterpieces.