Ashutosh Sharma was told by selectors 'he doesn't know how to bat', BCCI had to give special permission: 'I was scared…'
Railways coach Nikhil Doru reveals how the selectors were against picking Ashutosh Sharma in the Ranji Trophy squad.
Ashutosh Sharma played one of the most memorable innings in the history of the Indian Premier League, helping Delhi Capitals register an improbable win against the Lucknow Super Giants on Monday. Delhi were down and out at 65/5 while chasing 210, but Ashutosh provided rear-guard action, smashing 66 unbeaten runs off 31 balls to take Delhi Capitals over the line with one wicket in hand and three balls to spare.
The world is going gaga over Ashutosh's heroics in the 18th edition of the IPL. But amid all the chatter, Railways head coach Nikhil Doru opened up about the right-handed Ashutosh's Ranji Trophy debut against Gujarat in January 2024. Doru revealed how the selectors were unwilling to pick Ashutosh in the squad, saying, "he doesn't know how to bat." The Railways head coach praised the batter's mental strength and resolve as he proved everyone wrong.
On his Ranji Trophy debut, Ashutosh slammed a century, rescuing his team from a difficult position and thus, announcing his arrival in red-ball cricket.
"The selectors were completely unwilling to pick him in Railways' squad for the Ranji Trophy. They said, 'Ashutosh doesn't know how to bat. He can only hit big shots'. I kept pushing for his selection terming him a necessity considering his ability to emerge as a game-changer," Doru told TimesofIndia.com.
Ashutosh wasn't picked in the squad for the first three-four matches. However, he eventually got selected for the game against Gujarat, being fully aware that he would definitely be dropped in case he fauls since the selectors were still strongly against him," he added.
'Odds were against Ashutosh'
The Railways coach explained why the odds were against the 26-year-old, who considers Shikhar Dhawan his mentor. Doru also explained the comedy of errors that unfolded in the Ranji Trophy fixture.
"The odds were against Ashutosh as the match was being played at Valsad, where Gujarat had an edge with the conditions quite bowler-friendly. There was also some controversy around the Railways lineup for the match, as two different team sheets had been presented during the toss. One included Ashutosh's name while the other didn't. Due to this confusion, I had to send a bowler Karn Sharma out to bat before Ashutosh when we were 135/5 during our first innings, as we had to obtain permission from the BCCI regarding Ashutosh featuring in the match," he said.
"It took 15-20 minutes to obtain permission. I was scared during that period of time as Ashutosh wouldn't have been able to do much in case we were eight wickets down. Before Ashutosh walked out to bat, I told Gujarat spinner Ravi Bishnoi that our batting has just started. He laughed and said, 'What are you saying?'. Despite having only bowlers for company, Ashutosh managed to help us score 313, smashing 123 off 84 balls in a knock comprising 12 fours and eight sixes. It boosted our morale massively as we had fully expected to get bowled out for 200. We eventually won that match by 184 runs," he added.
Not many are aware that Ashutosh holds the record for smashing the fastest fifty by an Indian batter in T20 cricket. He smoked a half-century off just 11 balls during Railways' Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh in October 2023.
"Ashutosh is a big believer in visualisation. He focuses on visualising success and glory, then goes about executing it in the best possible manner. Ashutosh told me that he has visualised winning the IPL with DC this season," the coach said.
