Punjab Kings and Railways batter Ashutosh Sharma said that he scored his maiden First Class ton on his Ranji Trophy debut with the bat that an impressed Shikhar Dhawan gave him when the latter watched him bat for the first time in the pre-season camp for the 2024 Indian Premier League in Mumbai.
When asked if he had anything memorable to share about Dhawan, who announced his retirement on Saturday morning, Ashutosh said: “The best thing was when I met him for the first time for the (IPL 2024) pre-season camp. The first time he watched my batting, he gave me a bat. I made my maiden First Class hundred with that bat!”
Ashutosh smashed eight sixes and twelve fours in his 84-ball 123 versus Gujarat in that innings in January this year.
“Another memorable thing is that before I went in to bat in my first IPL game against Gujarat Titans, Dhawan was sitting behind and told me: ‘I know you will do it for the team. This cricket is the same as domestic cricket. Just calm your nerves,’” Ashutosh added.
Coming in to bat with 50 needed off 27 balls, his 17-ball 31 (3x4, 1x6) helped PBKS chase 200 with three wickets and a ball to spare in that match.
“I’ve spoken a lot with Shikhar Paaji (at PBKS). He taught me about visualisation and manifestation, to always think positively.
“I learnt how a legend like him and a foreign player like Sam Curran perform in tough situations. The main thing is that I learnt how to handle pressure,” said the 25-year-old at the Salem Cricket Foundation (SCF) ground.
