Gill lauds 'very valuable' Ashok Sharma after impressive debut
Making his IPL debut, Ashok Sharma returned figures of 1 for 31 from three overs
Shubman Gill said he expects rookie pacer Ashok Sharma to become "very valuable" for Gujarat Titans with more experience after he made his debut in their IPL 2026 opening-game defeat to Punjab Kings.
Ashok frequently hit speeds in the 140-145kph range but also mixed it up with a slew of back-of-the-hand slower balls. While he went for runs in his first spell, he returned at the death and bowled an impressive 18th over, which went for just five runs and saw Ashok pick his maiden IPL wicket.
"He bowled pretty well up front and I think in the back. He's definitely someone that I think as he keeps playing more matches and keeps getting more experience he'll be very valuable for us," Gill said after the match.
"He's someone who works very hard you know on his game and he's a pretty good fielder for us," Gill said. "And I actually met him during the camp a couple of months ago and I was very impressed by the way he was bowling with the new ball as well. Hopefully he'll get a chance in some of the matches to show some of his skills with the new ball."
It was one of Ashok's back-of-the-hand slower balls that brought Ashok the wicket of Marco Jansen, who ended up chipping the debutant to Gill at cover. The wicket left PBKS seven down and needing 16 off the last two overs. But Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett sealed the win for the hosts. Ashok finished the game with figures of 1 for 31 off three overs.
GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel said Ashok is "a proper athlete" and an exciting talent.
"He is exciting, there is no doubt about it," Patel said at the post-match press conference. "The way we have seen him, the way he bowled in [Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy], he has that pace and he has that character also.
"Even after the first two overs he went for runs, but he came in and bowled a crucial 18th over. So he has that character, he is a proper athlete, so we are quite excited about Ashok Sharma."