Ashutosh Sharma seems set to show this season that what he did for the Punjab Kings last season was no fluke. He grabbed the headlines by leading Delhi Capitals to an utterly improbable victory in his debut for the franchise against the Lucknow Super Giants.
His childhood coach and former India cricketer Amar Khurasiya has now stated that DC should promote Ashutosh higher up the order and that he deserves a spot in the national T20 team.
Khurasiya said that he is not too surprised by Ashutosh’s astonishing knocks lower down the order. “He has always had a lot of resilience. He can absorb pressure, something he has done in the past—not just in the IPL but in other games and in life as well. He is a determined player, always striving to improve his game. If Delhi wants to win their maiden title, they must send him to open the innings and dominate the Powerplay. He is the most difficult player to handle and stop in the Powerplay. Axar should try him. He is a nightmare for bowlers,” he is quoted as saying by Times of India.
“Ashutosh can hook the ball. He can hook it off the front foot. He can pull off the front foot. And he does it against bowlers clocking 140 kmph. He can play the backfoot punch. He can cut. He has all the shots in the book. Plus, he has innovated so many others,” he said.
“He must play for India. Can you believe a batter turned the game around when his team was struggling at 113 for 6? How many players have done that?
“On a track where the ball was holding up, he took on Ravi Bishnoi—an India international and one of the country’s best spinners. And that too, on a challenging pitch. This guy should be playing for India in T20s. He should be a straight pick. An amazing talent. You need to identify such players early and not make them wait,” said Khurasiya.
“He must play for India. Can you believe a batter turned the game around when his team was struggling at 113 for 6? How many players have done that?
“On a track where the ball was holding up, he took on Ravi Bishnoi—an India international and one of the country’s best spinners. And that too, on a challenging pitch. This guy should be playing for India in T20s. He should be a straight pick. An amazing talent. You need to identify such players early and not make them wait,” said Khurasiya.
Ashutosh scored 189 runs in 11 matches last season for PBKS at a strike rate of 167.26, often providing stunning finishes with Shashank Singh. However, while Shashank was retained by the franchise, Ashutosh wasn’t and he was snapped up by DC at the mega auction in November last year.
On Monday DC had lost half their side in the first seven overs while chasing a target of 210. However, Ashutosh anchored a stunning comeback after the 10th over with Tristan Stubbs and then Vipraj Nigam going big guns at the other end. Ashutosh himself later took charge and won the match for DC in the last over with a six. He finished unbeaten on 66 off 31 balls.
