Amidst the ongoing ODI World Cup in India, a couple of reports made the headlines on Tuesday. One was about a gutsy Netherlands beating the fancied South Africans at Dharamsala. The other being about a certain Ashutosh Sharma breaking Yuvraj Singh's 16-year-old record for the fastest T20 fifty by an Indian.
The 25-year-old smashed a half-century in just 11 balls against Arunachal Pradesh in a Group C clash of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Ranchi to hog the spotlight. But the Railways batter had no idea of his achievement until much later when his team started fielding.
"I had no clue about the record, but deep inside I was really upbeat about my knock. It felt great to be making a comeback in the senior circuit with this knock. This has boosted my confidence. I hope to keep up the form and play for Railways in all formats this season," said the middle-order batter.
Sharma made his T20 debut in 2018 for Madhya Pradesh and last played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Madhya Pradesh in 2019. However, when Chandrakant Pandit became the Madhya Pradesh coach in 2020, Sharma fell out of favour and was dropped, spending three seasons in agony.
"In my last knock for MP I scored 84 runs against Pondicherry. But Mr Pandit had his own ways. He did not want me in the team for any format. It was heart-breaking," said Sharma.
{{/usCountry}}"In my last knock for MP I scored 84 runs against Pondicherry. But Mr Pandit had his own ways. He did not want me in the team for any format. It was heart-breaking," said Sharma.
{{/usCountry}}“I had a tough time coming to terms with the fact that I was not in the scheme of things for Madhya Pradesh. My childhood coach Bhupen Chauhan backed me all this while. I had another heartbreak when I lost him last season before I joined Railways. He knew I would make a comeback."
Sharma got a second chance when he joined Railways as a junior clerk, moving to Bhopal last season. He played in the Colonel CK Nayudu Trophy where he made an impact. At the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Manipur, Sharma didn’t get a chance to bat. Against Arunachal, Sharma had to make it count.
In only his second match for Railways, the 25-year-old walked into the middle with the score on 131/4 with five overs remaining. He hammered eight sixes and one four to propel to 53 off 12 deliveries at a staggering strike rate of 441.66, breaking Yuvraj’s record by one ball. The former India batter had scored a 12-ball half-century against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup that India won.
Tough childhood
Sharma’s father, Ram Babu Sharma, worked as a compounder in a government hospital in Ratlam. It was he who enrolled Sharma in the Railways Cricket Club academy. As Sharma grew in stature and started playing U-14 and U-16 cricket for his district, he moved to Indore under former India cricketer Amay Khurasiya in 2016 before making his Madhya Pradesh u-19 debut the same year.
Two seasons ago, he went unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. With an eye on the season ahead, Ashutosh is banking on his form and hard work. "The season has just begun. There is so much to do and establish as a cricketer. My aim is to do well in all formats for Railways," said Sharma.