PBKS batsman Ashutosh Sharma expressed his confidence in securing a victory against GT in the IPL 2024 match on April 4, despite the challenges. He credited his performance for Railways in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for boosting his confidence.
The 25-year-old scored 31 runs off 17 balls and partnered with Shashank Singh (61* off 29) in a crucial seventh-wicket partnership of 43 runs as PBKS chased down 200 runs against GT at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. PBKS won the match by three wickets with one ball remaining.
During his match-winning performance, Shashank hit six boundaries and four maximums, while Ashutosh, as the Impact Player, struck three fours and a six. During the post-match press conference, the 25-year-old looked back on his exceptional innings.
“It was my first match of the (IPL) season, but I had won a match for Railways and this was a similar situation. And I thought that I’d bat with that same mindset. I had the confidence to pull it off because I had won games for the team in the Mushtaq Ali tournament. I kept telling myself that I will do it.”
Ashutosh gained attention when he surpassed Yuvraj Singh’s record for the fastest fifty by an Indian in T20s last October. He achieved his fifty in just 11 balls while playing for Railways against Arunachal Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Yuvraj had achieved his fifty in 12 balls against England in Durban during the 2007 T20 World Cup, famously hitting Stuart Broad for six sixes in that match. The right-handed batsman acknowledged the support and confidence shown in his abilities by the coaching and management staff of PBKS.
“I had the confidence because coaches and management were backing me a lot. They had the belief that I could finish games. I carried that confidence and applied it in the middle. I felt very good that I could justify their belief,” Ashutosh said.
2️⃣ Points ✅
Young guns Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma win it for @PunjabKingsIPL 🙌
They get over the line as they beat #GT by 3 wickets 👍
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/0Sy2civoOa #TATAIPL | #GTvPBKS pic.twitter.com/m7b5f8jLbz
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 4, 2024
In pursuit of 200 runs, Punjab Kings faced significant adversity as they lost five wickets with the score at 111. However, the partnership between Ashutosh and Shashank for the seventh wicket completely changed the course of the contest.
“We were calm and didn’t panic” -Ashutosh commented on his partnership with Shashank
Looking back on his crucial partnership with Shashank, Ashutosh praised Shashank for his influential performance. He emphasized that neither of them felt anxious despite the high required run rate, expressing confidence that they had the situation under control.
“Shashank played an impactful knock even as wickets were falling at one end. Both of us had the belief that we would win the game for the team. We were calm and didn’t panic,” the Impact Player said.
After defeating Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings will face SunRisers Hyderabad in their next IPL 2024 match, scheduled to take place in Mohali on April 9th.
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