Hitting a sweep shot off Jasprit Bumrah was my dream: Ashutosh Sharma

Ashutosh Sharma chipped in with the bat once again for Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 18 (Thursday), when he slammed a 28-ball 61 against Mumbai Indians (MI) and nearly took his side over the line. However, he was dismissed with 25 more required and PBKS eventually fell short by nine runs in the end.

The 25-year-old played plenty of audacious shots, but none more than sweeping MI's premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for a six, which is something he says he has dreamt of.

“Hitting a sweep shot off Jasprit Bumrah was my dream. I have practised these types of shots often since sweep shots are common in cricket. When playing, I remained focused on my process and believed I could lead my team to victory,” said Ashutosh in a post-match press conference.

The PBKS batter scored his maiden IPL fifty and celebrated by pointing his bat towards the dressing room. Ashutosh said that it is his way of thanking the backroom staff for their belief and support in him.

"The celebrations were for Sanjay Bangar sir. I am working a lot under him and he keeps guiding me. He has given me a chance. I also wanted to thank the Punjab team for showing faith in me - our Head Coach Trevor Bayliss, Ashish [Tuli] paaji, Shikhar [Dhawan] Paaji who have believed in me," he said.

"Sanjay Sir has taught me that I am not a slogger and that I play cricketing shots and I need to focus on that. This small statement has become a big one for me. I am following the same and that is changing my game."

Ashutosh, who plies his trade with Railways in the domestic circuit, said he is not fazed by such close losses, but stresses on the importance of sticking to the process.

"We are working hard. Our intent is good. Winning and losing is part of the game. It matters how you are playing, and we are playing well as a team. If we continue in the same vein of form, we will do better and win the games," the 25-year-old said.

"It's a part of the game. Sometimes, the opener score runs, and sometimes the middle orders do. This keeps happening. It's a team game. We all have to do well. We have to focus on our process and not on winning and losing. If the process is correct, we will keep going in the right direction."

Punjab are currently in the ninth position in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 table with four points from seven games. They have now lost three matches in a row and will hope to get back to winning ways when they take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in Mullanpur on April 21 (Sunday). 

Play Asli Fantasy on Cricket.com. Download the App Now.