Shubman Gill said he expects rookie pacer Ashok Sharma to become “very valuable” for Gujarat Titans (GT) with more experience, after he made his debut in their IPL 2026 opening game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), which GT lost by three wickets.
Ashok frequently hit speeds in the 140-145kph range but also mixed it up with back-of-the-hand slower balls. While he went for runs in his first spell (26 runs in two overs without a wicket), 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, that of Marco Jansen.
“He bowled pretty well up front and I think in the back,” Gill said on the broadcast after the match. “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.
“He’s someone who works very hard on his game and he’s a pretty good fielder for us. 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 the wicket of Jansen, who ended up chipping to Gill at cover. The wicket left PBKS seven down and needing 16 off the last two overs. But Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett finished the job with the bat. Ashok finished the game with figures of 1 for 31 from three overs.
“He is exciting, there is no doubt about it,” GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel said at the post-match press conference. “We’ve seen the way he bowled in [the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy]. He has pace. And he has the character also.
“The first two overs he went for runs but he came back to bowl the crucial 18th over, so he has that character. He’s a proper athlete. So we’re quite excited about Ashok Sharma.”
