CHENNAI: Anshu Jain remembers when Akshay Sharma, elder brother of Rajasthan and Gujarat Titans pacer Ashok Sharma, came to talk to him during a selection match. By then, Jain, coach of Rajasthan, had seen and worked with Ashok at various age-groups. What he did not know were the sacrifices Akshay and his family had made for Ashok to pursue his dream of becoming an elite cricketer.
Hailing from a farming family in Rampura village near Jaipur, Ashok and Akshay both played cricket growing up. Akshay was already a district-level player and Ashok followed his footsteps. However, because of financial constraints, only one of them could afford to pursue the dream of playing cricket. Being the elder brother, Akshay stepped aside, allowing Ashok to continue playing cricket.
"His family has made a lot of sacrifices," Jain told this daily. "I remember when we were playing a tournament selection match, his brother came to meet me. He told me, 'the family has high expectations of him. We belong to a farmer's family (father Nathulal Sharma is a farmer). We don't have a lot of money, but we will do our best'. Later I got to know that his brother sacrificed his cricket so that Ashok can play," Rajasthan coach recalled.
Even back then, Ashok was blessed with pace. Close to four years have passed and now, the 23-year-old is the rising pace bowling star in Indian cricket. He has made rapid strides over the last few years, consistently clocking high pace, including breaching the 150KPH mark in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It has not gone unnoticed.
Ashok was called to for India A squad at the recent T20 World Cup warm-ups and he made a mark. In the two matches, he registered 2/17 and 1/24 in the team that also had the likes of Mayank Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed and Gurjapneet Singh. Now, he is gearing up for a big season with Gujarat Titans.
To come this far, Ashok has worked hard on control and discipline in terms of line and length in the Rajasthan set up as well as while being part of Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals (he is yet to play a game in IPL). "He had raw pace," Jain remembered his first impression of Ashok in the Rajasthan U19 team. "Even then, he was bowling late 130 to early 140KPHs. That was an X-factor and I felt he can be a good prospect for the state team and country also. I spoke with the selectors and took him to the senior side so that even if he doesn't play, he will get to learn," he added.
While he continued to learn from the sidelines, Ashok was still part of the U23 side. At the time, when he was leaking runs because of inconsistent lines and lengths, Jain told the selectors that those things can be taught, but his pace cannot be. "It is a rare thing. I always felt that such talent should be nurtured and not wasted. I used to back him with that thought. I felt that he has the ability to break partnerships and he can also contribute with the bat. People judge players by their immediate results. But his work ethic is right up there. He had the skill and technique, we worked on small things like release points but it is not easy."
"To teach a player, you have to build a rapport. He should trust you. You will have to ask him a lot of questions. You will have to find out what is better for him. I think when his mind accepts that bowling fuller will increase the percentage of his wickets, (he will become a greater threat) as the stumps and LBW will be in play. The mind accepts it first, the body accepts it later on. It took some time but he understood it very quickly. When he was with the IPL team, he shared the dressing room with big players. Those experiences helped him too. When he got the same feedback from many places, his mind accepted it," Jain explained.
Soon the results followed as he did well for U23 and last season, he stepped up in the absence of senior pacers like Deepak Chahar and Khaleel, taking 14 wickets in four Ranji games. He also finished as the joint leading wicket-taker of the SMAT tournament with 22 in ten matches.
A shy, reserved youngster off the field, Ashok's values stemmed from his family and the sacrifices they have made. Former Rajasthan cricketer and Ashok's mentor at Aravali Cricket Academy Vivek Yadav, who passed away during Covid-19 pandemic while undergoing treatment for cancer, also had a massive influence on the youngster. "He has his own values. He respects the elders, the game, opponents... he is a very down to earth person. He shows gratitude for cricket. He doesn't express himself much off the field and saves it for when he gets on the ground," Jain said.
As the 23-year-old gears up for what could be a full-fledged IPL season with Titans, Jain believes Ashok is ready for the big stage. "He has significantly improved his cricket. I am hopeful that he will continue to do so. The way he has performed this season, the way he wants to learn new things, I feel he has done a good job. He even hit the 150KPH mark in SMAT. He has also made runs with the bat. He will be an asset for the IPL team. If he continues to play like this, he will be an asset for the country," Jain signed off.
