‘He has been a top-5 bowler’ - R Ashwin heaps praise on Sandeep Sharma following season’s first win

Rajasthan Royals got off to a flying start to the IPL 2024 season. Facing Lucknow Super Giants in their first game of the tournament, Royals managed to register a dominant victory at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, March 24.

Royals managed to win the game by 20 runs and got off to a positive start. Speaking of several performances from the game, Indian pacer Sandeep Sharma took one wicket and conceded 22 runs in his spell of three overs. 

His showing saw veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin take centre stage and reflect on the performances from Royals against Lucknow. Giving his take, Ashwin branded Sandeep Sharma as a top-five bowler in the IPL and talked of how he has been a good replacement player in the absence of Prasidh Krishna. 

"The game is built by perceptions, if you look at the way Sandy has bowled, he has been a top-5 bowler (in the IPL)- he's a character, does the dirty work for us, did a lot to cover for Prasidh in the last season as well. I see him as a fighter - bowlers getting 2 bouncers is the only fillip in this format and the bowlers are looking to use it,” Ashwin said in a post-match interview.

Sanju and Riyan batted really well: Ashwin

Furthermore, Ashwin spoke of the partnership between Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag that helped Royals post a total of 193 runs for Lucknow to chase down. 

"I think it was a wicket of two halves, I thought it stuck in the pitch in the first half, it was a bit tacky, it depends on how much water you put on. Sanju and Riyan batted really well, but I felt we were 10 runs short, with so many impact players coming up in the form of Hetmyer and Jurel. But the pitch holds up well over here. I went for 12 off the first two balls, it needs a different mindset, having come from Test cricket,” Ashwin said.

Also Read: Sandeep Sharma, Nicholas Pooran welcome IPL's two bouncer rule