SMAT: Who is Railways batter, Ashutosh Sharma? Decoding his stats
Ashutosh Sharma of Railways scripted history after slamming the fastest half-century by an Indian batter in T20 cricket. He broke a 16-year-old record held by Yuvraj Singh. Ashutosh hammered his fifty off just 11 balls against Arunachal Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group C clash in Ranchi on Tuesday. Yuvraj had clocked a 12-ball fifty versus England in 2007.
Why does this story matter?
Ashutosh came to the crease when his side was 131 for 4 with just five overs to go. He then went on to smash 53 off 12 balls. His knock was studded with eight sixes and just one four. He was dismissed the next ball after reaching his record-breaking half-century, clocking a stunning strike rate of 441.66.
Railways tame sorry Arunachal Pradesh
Railways went on to hammer 246/5 in 20 overs courtesy of Ashutosh's fiery knock. Railways amassed 115 runs in the last five overs. In response, Arunachal Pradesh folded for 119, losing by 127 runs.
Yuvraj held the world record until Nepal's Dipendra came along
Yuvraj held the record in terms of an Indian batter when he hit a 12-ball fifty against England in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007. Yuvraj managed 58 from 16 balls as India won the clash. His record was the fastest in men's internationals before Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee broke the same against Mongolia (9 balls) in the 2023 Asian Games.
Journey of Ashutosh Sharma
25-year-old Ashutosh hails from Madhya Pradesh. He made his List A debut for MP in 2019, scoring 21 in his solitary outing. He made his T20 debut in 2018 for Madhya Pradesh and last played the format in 2019, clocking three fifties with the best of 84. In 2023, he made his debut for Railways, scoring 53 in just his second SMAT appearance.
A strike rate of 182.91 in the 20-over format
As per ESPNcricinfo, Ashutosh has racked up 289 runs from 10 matches in the 20-over format. He has clocked four fifties so far with the best score of 84. He carries a strike rate of 182.91.
