'Selectors Were Unwilling To..': Railways Coach Reveals Ashutosh Sharma's Ranji Selection Ordeal

'Selectors Were Unwilling To..': Railways Coach Reveals Ashutosh Sharma's Ranji Selection Ordeal

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Last Updated: March 26, 2025, 14:02 IST

The world is going gaga over Ashutosh Sharma's heroics in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League.

Ashutosh Sharma celebrates after wining against Lucknow Super Giants (Picture credit: AP)

Railways coach Nikhil Doru, a former Rajasthan wicketkeeper, has revealed how the selectors of the former team were unwilling to pick Ashutosh Sharma for the Ranji Trophy, saying that he can only smack big hits and doesn’t know how to bat.

Delhi Capitals were down and out at 65/5 while chasing 210, but Ashutosh gave rear-guard action, smacking 66 unbeaten runs off 31 deliveries to take his team over the line with one wicket in hand and three deliveries to spare.

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On his Ranji Trophy debut, Ashutosh smacked a hundred, rescuing his side from a tough 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 said while speaking to The Times of India.

“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 be dropped in case he fauls since the selectors were still strongly against him," Doru added.

The former Rajasthan wicketkeeper explained why the odds were against Ashutosh, who considers former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan his mentor.

“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," Doru said.

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“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 BCCI regarding Ashutosh featuring in the match," Doru added.

Meanwhile, the Delhi batter said that he spent the whole year visualising the finish line after pulling off a miraculous heist for his team against Lucknow in Vishakhapatnam.

First Published: March 26, 2025, 14:02 IST

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