IPL 2024: Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma bring Punjab Kings back to winning ways, credit franchise for backing them during tough times.
Shashank Singh hammered an unbeaten 61 off 29 balls while Ashutosh Sharma made an impactful 31 from 17 as Punjab Kings registered a sensational comeback win over the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The two rising stars backed themselves and led the charge scripting a partnership of 43 off 22 balls to chase down the mammoth total of 200 with three wickets and one ball to spare. With their blistering knocks, the uncapped cricketers also brought the PBKS back to winning ways.
Punjab Kings’ Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma during the match against Gujarat Titans(IPL)
“I visualised moments like this. But turning it into reality, I am really happy and proud of myself,” Shashank said after the match. “I play cricketing shots more. My coaches told me that I have to watch the ball react to the ball, and play on merit.”
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Shashank has played 58 domestic T20s in his career and has a strike rate of 137.34. While he plays for Chhattisgarh at the national level, he has featured for multiple IPL franchises in the past. However, he only got to play in 2022 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“The wicket and the bounce were fantastic. I was batting against some of the legends. But when I go to bat, I have to believe I am the best. I do not look at the bowler and just react to the balls. I am grateful to Punjab management, the coaching staff, and owners for backing me during the training sessions,” he added.
Ashutosh, who also joined the Punjab Kings this year, came out as an Impact substitute during the match and repaid the faith shown in him by the franchise on his IPL debut. The franchise kept their eyes on the 25-year-old for the past couple of years, and while hunting for a heavy-hitter who can finish off games, Punjab King’s scouting team was further impressed by Ashutosh during the trials in Mohali last November.
The Punjab-based franchise has been known for identifying a lot of young talent since its inception. In recent years, the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh and Harpreet Brar were also picked up at the grassroots level in 2019 by Ashish Tuli, who has been associated with the team for the last 15 years.
Vikram Hastir (L) Sam Curran (centre) with Ashish Tuli (R)
Tuli, who is now the General Manager, Cricketing Operations, Punjab Kings said: “We strongly believe in finding young talent and firmly backing them. The key is to give them opportunities and consistently believe in them. The way Ashutosh expressed himself on his debut showed everyone his capability and confidence. We are extremely happy to see Shashank show his experience and get us over the line as well.”
Ashutosh, after the match, expressed gratitude to the Punjab franchise for their constant support. “I would like to thank the team for believing in me. It feels great to give such a good performance on debut. But more than individual performance, what matters more is that our team won, and I was able to contribute to this win.”
Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh
The 25-year-old, who hails from the town of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, moved to Indore at the tender age of 10 to hone his cricketing skills. Despite limited resources, Ashutosh learned to manage everything on his own and worked as a ball boy and an umpire to make ends meet. In a pivotal cricketing move, the right-handed batsman moved to the Railways in 2022 and smashed a remarkable 11-ball 50 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year, shattering Yuvraj Singh’s record. In an inter-railway game, he also hammered 200 in just 60 balls and further increased the attention from Punjab Kings’ scouts.
Ashutosh also credited skipper Shikhar Dhawan and Head of Cricket Development Sanjay Bangar for instilling self-belief in him. “Shikhar paaji has taught me a lot about mental aspects of things. I had faith that I would be able to do it. I also want to credit Sanjay Bangar Sir, who also backed me and has been a source of inspiration since the first training session.” he signed off.
