Ashutosh Sharma was unbelievable, our nerves were tested: MI skipper Hardik

During the toss ceremony before a cricket match between the Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, the captain of the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya, and the stand-in captain of the Punjab Kings, Sam Curran, were seen. The match was held at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Mohali on April 18, 2024. The photo of their encounter was taken by PTI.

Ashutosh Sharma, a cricketer from Punjab Kings, received high praise for his impressive performance with the bat. Both Hardik Pandya, the skipper of Mumbai Indians, and Sam Curran, the team's stand-in captain, lauded Sharma's skills, with Pandya describing it as an "unbelievable" display.

Despite the outstanding performances from Ashutosh and Shashank Singh, Punjab Kings have still dropped down to the ninth place in the IPL standings due to the poor performance of their top-order. These two players have unexpectedly become the stars of this season for the team.

Last Thursday, Ashutosh played an awesome game, scoring 61 runs in just 28 balls, nearly winning the game for PBKS against the Mumbai Indians. Despite their best efforts, PBKS lost the game by a margin of nine runs while chasing a target of 193.

Ashutosh impressed everyone with his exceptional sweep shot against the fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. This is quite rare as Bumrah is considered one of the top bowlers in India.

Amazingly, Ashutosh played phenomenally and connected with the ball perfectly, which will benefit his future. During the timeout, our focus was not on our appearance, but on persevering and preventing any weak deliveries. Although the batsmen made impressive hits, there were a few overs where we lacked strength. During the post-match presentation, Mr. Pandya shared these thoughts.

After a tense victory, the leader of MI let out a big breath and shared that the game had put everyone's anxiety to the test.

"The game was fantastic. It was quite intense and challenging for all of us. We were aware that the players' abilities would be evaluated during this match. However, it is expected that one might feel confident and in control during the game, but the IPL has a history of proving that opponents can make an unexpected comeback," Pandya expressed.

Sam Curran, who is temporarily leading the Punjab Kings team, expressed his satisfaction with the performance of Ashutosh and Shashank, two young players who have stepped up and played well in spite of the team's recent losses.

Once again, it was a nail-biter of a game. This team seems to thrive on intense matches, but unfortunately, they ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard once again. On the bright side, the young player Ashutosh gave an impressive performance with his outstanding knock. However, it was not enough to secure a victory in the end, resulting in yet another close defeat.

"This has been quite challenging. We've had a tough time losing many wickets early on, but it's uplifting to witness how well the youngsters have performed and brought us close to victory." "Their confidence is remarkable. It's captivating to witness players like Ashutosh fearlessly attempting sweep shots and big hits against our opponents' fast bowlers," expressed Curran.

The man from England mentioned that there were many good aspects to gain from coming very near to losing.

Losing games that are very close is discouraging, but there are numerous advantages to this team. We still possess confidence in ourselves, and we are convinced that we can make a comeback. Furthermore, the sun will rise again tomorrow, and we are confident that we will be able to succeed and string together a series of wins, according to Curran.

Jasprit Bumrah, who was named the player of the match, expressed that the game turned out to be much closer than what he had expected, despite delivering an outstanding performance by taking three wickets while giving away only 21 runs.

The game ended up being much more competitive than we had anticipated. I am motivated to bring my A-game right from the start. With the ball swinging for only two overs in this style of play, it's crucial to take advantage of that opportunity," he expressed.

According to Bumrah, the T20 format is not very kind to bowlers and is more favorable towards batsmen. He explained that in this format, it's tough for bowlers to restrict the batsmen since they can hit the ball anywhere, and there are limitations on time and the Impact Player rule. Despite this difficulty, Bumrah suggested that bowlers should focus on their skills and have confidence in themselves to perform well.

"Put in your utmost effort. As I roam around the field, I strive to communicate important messages. However, it's crucial to not overload with messages," expressed Bumrah.