NEW DELHI: Before his brilliance in the ongoing IPL, Ashutosh Sharma was best known for breaking Yuvraj Singh's long-standing record of hitting the fastest fifty in T20 cricket by an Indian. Representing Railways, Sharma blazed to an 11-ball half-century against Arunachal Pradesh at the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament – a ball less than Yuvraj's unforgettable 12-ball fifty against England at the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Despite his record-breaking feat last year, Sharma's moment in the sun came with back-to-back lion-hearted knocks for Punjab Kings in the IPL. The first one (31 off 17b) resulted in a thrilling victory for Punjab against Gujarat Titans, while the second (33* off 15b) nearly got his team home against Sunrisers Hyderabad.