After a stellar start to the season, Rajasthan Royals finally got a taste of their own medicine as they faced defeat against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur on April 10. It was their first defeat of the season after winning four games in a row since the season began. Now they face the unpredictable Punjab Kings who on their best day can defeat any side when in the mood at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Punjab.

PBKS are in desperate need for two points as they sit eighth in the points table with 2 wins and 3 losses so far accumulating 4 points. Opener Jonny Bairstow and lower-order batter Jitesh Sharma have been struggling to find form for Punjab which is a huge worry for the team. Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran have also not a wonderful start to the season with only a couple of fine knocks played so far. (IPL 2024: Ishan Kishan Breaks Silence On Losing BCCI Contract And Missing Ranji Trophy)

Ahead of the PBKS vs RR clash, checkout the weather report of the venue here…

According to AccuWeather, the weather in Chandigarh looks favorable for cricket. The temperature is forecasted to be approximately 35°C on game day, with humidity at 44%. This suggests that dew is unlikely to significantly impact the match on Saturday.

Ashutosh Sharma opens up on cricketing journey, role models, facing pressure

Ahead of his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) uncapped Indian batter Ashutosh Sharma opened up on his cricketing journey, role models and how he thrives under pressure situations. RR and PBKS will lock horns at Mullanpur on Saturday. During the match, all eyes will be on the uncapped Indian duo of Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh.

Shashank and Ashutosh shot to nationwide fame after a quickfire 43-run partnership in 22 balls against GT on April 4. It helped them chase down 200 runs after PBKS was down at 150/6 in 15.3 overs. Shashank became a hero for Punjab with his unbeaten 61* in 29 balls ( five fours and four sixes) and Ashutosh also played a solid knock of 31 in 17 balls, with three fours and a six.

During their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), this new middle-order pair was once again assigned the task of taking the team out of troubled waters after key players, skipper Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Sikandar Raza failed.

The two batters scripted a partnership of 66* in 27 balls with some amazing hits as they showed their on-field camaraderie. PBKS was in trouble at 114/6 in 15.3 overs while chasing 183 runs and the two players once again exploded in death overs and kept the fans on the edge of their seats till the last ball. Ashutosh remained unbeaten on 33 off 15 balls (with three fours and two sixes), while Shashank finished with 46 not out in 25 balls (with six fours and a six). A six came off the last ball of the innings.

Speaking in a video by the IPL, Ashutosh said that he used to play club cricket in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh and on noticing some progress in his game, he shifted to Indore, where he was selected in the trials of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) academy. The batter represents Railways in domestic cricket.

“Ratlam is a small city where there is not a big cricketing culture. My friend took me to a club there and I played for it. After noticing that I was doing well, I shifted to Indore, where I played for a club. There were trials in MPCA’s residential cricket academy and our coach selected me,” said Ashutosh.

The batter says that he loves to visualise himself playing in pressure situations.

“I used to visualise situations like this. When I got this situation (against GT), I told myself that I am finishing the game for my team. When I went out there, I did not feel any pressure,” said Ashutosh.

On his role models, Ashutosh said that he grew up watching MP veteran Naman Ojha, who also played a Test, an ODI and two T20Is for India. Though Naman was a prolific run-maker for MP.

“I also like to watch Suryakumar Yadav and Glenn Maxwell. MS Dhoni, there is no finisher like him and I have earned a lot from him. I also learn to be calm from Rinku Singh. Shashank (Singh) also stays very calm and relaxed. You can learn from everyone,” said Ashutosh.

His batting partner Shashank, with whom Ashutosh formed two memorable partnerships also recalled, “When Ashutosh walked in against GT, he was calm and composed. Someone as young as Ashutosh, playing at around 25 years of age in a packed Narendra Modi Stadium, he was composed. He believed in himself, he told me ‘Shashank bhai hojaayega, ek over pehle khatam karenge’ (Shashank bhai we will do it, we will finish a game with an over to go).