NEW DELHI:
Ashutosh Sharma
, an uncapped batter for the Punjab Kings, received a ton of plaudits from former Indian spinner
Harbhajan Singh
for his heroic performance against the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
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Ashutosh gave hope for an extraordinary comeback with some excellent stroke play after
PBKS
were down and dusted.
Ashutosh hit MI's star speedster
Jasprit Bumrah
with a sweep shot in the 13th over, sending the ball sailing into the stands.
His shots resonated with the likes of South Africa's 'Mr 360 Degree' Ab de Villiers and India's dynamic batter,
Suryakumar Yadav
.
"He plays like Suryakumar Yadav and it is not easy to hit Bumrah for boundaries the way he does. MI won the game but Ashustosh won hearts," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Before making a name for himself in the current IPL, Ashutosh had to overcome many obstacles in his life.
Rewinding the clock, Harbhajan recalled the moment the 25-year-old was benched by a Madhya Pradesh coach, which caused Ashutosh to fall into a deep despair.
"Ashutosh was rejected by Madhya Pradesh, he played a top knock and it is said that he was in depression. He got a job in the Railways and the best thing that happened was he played for them and struck a half-century in 11 balls. This is a record and it shows the potential of the Ashutosh. Ashutosh has said it on record about the trouble that was caused by the coach," Harbhajan added.
The 25-year-old got PBKS close in the elusive chase, with three towering sixes off Akash Madhwal in the 16th over, bringing down the equation to 27 runs in 24 balls.
Ashutosh was caught off guard by a slower delivery from
Gerald Coetzee
in the 18th over. He ended the game with a score of 61 off 28 deliveries as PBKS suffered a nine-run defeat.
(With ANI inputs)
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