NEW DELHI: Sandeep Sharma, playing his first game of the season for Rajasthan Royals (RR), delivered an exceptional performance against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Monday.
His five-wicket haul played a pivotal role in RR's comprehensive nine-wicket victory over MI.
Sharma's strategy of utilizing variations and cutters proved to be highly effective on the slower and lower pitch.
His four-over spell yielded impressive figures of 5/18, with an economy rate of 4.50. The 30-year-old pacer expressed his delight at making a successful comeback from injury and relished the opportunity to contribute to his team's success.
Reflecting on his journey, Sharma acknowledged the challenges he faced when he went unsold in the IPL auction two years ago. However, he embraced the opportunity to join RR as a replacement player and has been cherishing every game in the ongoing tournament.
"Got fit the day before yesterday only. The first game after fitness, feeling good. The pitch was on the slower side and lower side, so my plan was to keep bowling variations and cutters.
If you're bowling in the end, you have to have a big heart. Have seen in the IPL, that bowlers are under the pump. Need to have a big heart and keep executing plans. As you know, I went unsold two years ago. Came in as a replacement. So I'm enjoying every game," Sharma said.
Sharma's outstanding bowling effort restricted MI to a modest total of 179/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Tilak Varma (65) and Nehal Wadhera (49) were the only batters who could make a significant impact for the Mumbai-based franchise.
Trent Boult complemented Sharma's efforts by claiming two wickets.
In response, Yashasvi Jaiswal's blistering century (104 not out) guided RR to a comfortable victory, chasing down the target with nine wickets in hand. Piyush Chawla was the lone wicket-taker for MI.
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With this win, RR solidified their position at the top of the IPL 2024 standings with 14 points, while MI remained in seventh place with six points.
(Inputs from ANI)
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