"I kept telling myself that I will do it" - Ashutosh Sharma on brilliant cameo in GT vs PBKS IPL 2024 match

Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Ashutosh Sharma said that he was confident about pulling off a victory against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2024 game on Thursday, April 4, despite the tough circumstances. Ashutosh said that his performance for Railways in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy gave him confidence.

The 25-year-old hammered 31 off only 17 balls and featured in a seventh-wicket stand of 43 runs with Shashank Singh (61* off 29) as Punjab Kings chased down 200 against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. PBKS got home by three wickets with one ball to spare.

While Shashank hammered six fours and four sixes in his match-winning knock, Ashutosh came in as the Impact Player and clubbed three fours and a six. At the post-match press conference, the 25-year-old reflected on his special knock:

"It was my first match of the (IPL) season, but I had won a match for Railways and this was a similar situation. 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 grabbed the limelight when he broke Yuvraj Singh’s record for the fastest fifty by an Indian in T20s in October last year.

The batter raced to his half-century in only 11 balls, representing Railways against Arunachal Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Yuvraj had reached fifty off 12 balls against England in Durban in the 2007 T20 World Cup - the game in which he slammed Stuart Broad for six sixes.

The right-handed batter credited the PBKS coaching and management staff for backing him and showing a lot of belief in his ability.

"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.

Chasing 200, Punjab Kings were in big trouble, having lost half their side for 111, but the seventh-wicket stand between Ashutosh and Shashank turned the contest on its head.

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"We were calm and didn't panic" - Ashutosh on his partnership with Shashank

Reflecting on his game-changing stand with Shashank, Ashutosh credited the former for playing an impactful knock. He also asserted that neither of them panicked despite the steep asking rate, adding that they felt that things were 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.

Having beaten Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings' next assignment in IPL 2024 will be against SunRisers Hyderabad in Mohali on April 9.