Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Ravichandran Ashwin commended right-arm seamer Sandeep Sharma for his outstanding performance against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday.
RR began their IPL 2024 campaign with a victory at home, thanks to Sanju Samson’s aggressive batting and Trent Boult’s excellent bowling, securing a 20-run win against LSG at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Sandeep Sharma’s impressive spell of three overs saw him take one wicket while conceding only 22 runs, playing a crucial role in the death overs and guiding his team to a comfortable win.
Ashwin, aged 37, praised the partnership between Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag, who put on a crucial 93-run stand in 59 balls. Samson scored an unbeaten 82 runs off 52 balls, including six sixes and three fours, while Parag contributed with an important 43 runs off 29 balls, featuring three sixes and a four.
Reflecting on the match, Ashwin commented in a post-match interview about the challenging pitch conditions and the team’s performance. He acknowledged Sandeep Sharma’s impressive debut in the IPL and expressed confidence in his future performances.
The match saw RR winning the toss and opting to bat first. Despite losing early wickets, a solid partnership between Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson helped RR post a competitive total of 193/4 in 20 overs.
In response, LSG struggled early in their chase but managed to stabilize thanks to Deepak Hooda and KL Rahul’s efforts. However, timely wickets from RR’s bowlers, including Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Ashwin, Nandre Burger, and Yuzvendra Chahal, restricted LSG to 173/6 in 20 overs, securing RR’s victory.
Sanju Samson was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding half-century innings.
