Although Punjab Kings suffered their third consecutive defeat at the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday (18 April), their emerging star, Ashutosh Sharma garnered plaudits yet again, as he nearly pulled off what would have been a miraculous victory. Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya was among the many who praised the Railways batter.
When Ashutosh came out to bat, Punjab were reeling at 77/6 whilst chasing a target of 184 runs, with a win seeming to be all but impossible. However, he played a sublime knock of 61 runs off 28 deliveries, and could have taken his team to the finish line, had he not lost his wicket in the 18th over.
Speaking about Ashutosh after the match, Pandya stated:
He (Ashutosh Sharma) was unbelievable. Coming in and playing the way he did and hitting almost every ball off the middle. I am happy for him, chuffed for his future.Hardik Pandya
The game ebbed and flowed, and till the last over, every team had nearly equal chances of coming out with two points. Ultimately, it was Mumbai Indians who were successful in their endeavour.
Reflecting on the victory, Pandya added:
It was a very good game of cricket. Everyone's nerves got tested. We spoke earlier that the characters will be checked in this game. It is natural to think that you are ahead, but IPL has a tendency to show that oppositions can come back. We did speak in the timeout that it is not about how we look, we will keep fighting. Make sure we don't ball the soft balls. The batsmen played good shots but we were soft in certain overs. Nevertheless, a win is a win.Hardik Pandya