MATCH STORIES
Follow UsYuvraj Singh’s 12-ball half-century against England was a record that was deemed quite safe.
For the longest time, it felt like that record wouldn’t be broken. But then a 24-year-old Ashutosh Sharma took matters into his own hands with a scintillating power-hitting show.
There are hitters, there are some fierce hitters, and then there is Railways’ Ashutosh, who broke Yuvraj’s 16-year-old record in just a hurray. Having walked in at 131/4 against Arunachal Pradesh in the 2023/24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), the right-handed Ashutosh took the entire domestic scene by storm with a knock for the ages.
He smashed eight sixes in the next 12 deliveries and pierced gaps for four boundaries. But the biggest thing that he smashed was an age-old record, breaking Yuvraj Singh's record, scoring the fastest half-century for an Indian in just 11 deliveries.
The 24-year-old smashed at a strike rate of 441.66 in a clash where Railways scored 115 runs in the last five overs. What’s more shocking was that it was his first ever T20 for Railways and the 10th T20 match in his career. He did come into the 2024 IPL season with the reputation of being a big hitter.
Perhaps that was enough for the Punjab Kings to raise their paddle for the Railways star.
What did he do on his IPL debut?
At 150/6, the 25-year-old walked out as the Impact Player, replacing Arshdeep Singh, to bat alongside Shashank Singh. While he did not do much in his first four deliveries, where he only scored three, he gave Gujarat Titans a glorious chance to end the clash.
But Umesh Yadav’s drop ensured that the entire world got to witness what Ashutosh is capable of doing. The right-hander absolutely smacked Azmatullah Omarzai’s ball over the backward square leg region for a four. He then backed it up with a ramp over the third-man region for another four.
Suddenly, he went from seven off seven to 15 off nine balls. In the same over, he knocked off another boundary, now taking his tally to 22 off 12 deliveries.
Needing 25 off 12 deliveries, the weight was on the shoulders of the 25-year-old. And what does he do? Smack a six. The Railways man spotted the back-of-a-hand slower delivery quite early and pulled Mohit Sharma over long-on for a six.
After smashing 31 off 16 deliveries, his innings ended when Darshan Nalkande beat him for pace. 31 off 17, a strike rate of 182.35, a knock to remember, and what better than this for an IPL debut.
"I would like to thank Punjab Kings for believing in me. Happy that our team has won. Personal performance happens, but main thing is for the team to win. [Mindset] Shikhar [Dhawan] has told me a lot of things mentally. I was like 'I will do it'," Ashutosh Sharma told Star Sports after the win.
Interestingly, there's a back story to Ashutosh's relationship with Sanjay Bangar. The Railway batter was always a fan of Bangar, whom he met at the age of 11 when he was a ball boy during Bangar's stint with the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala. All the years later, the 25-year-old now has got the opportunity to showcase his skills with Bangar around in the camp.
"I have won games for my team, so I had the belief. Sanjay Bangar also believed in me, he spoke to me a lot during camps, and that helped. Back home, I had worked with Amay Khurasiya, my coach. He said you will do well when you get the chance," he added.
Ashutosh Sharma is here.
