Ashok Sharma's story of becoming India's pace sensation — From a Rampura corridor to a 154 kmph IPL thunderbolt

It wasn’t long ago that Ashok Sharma was just another fast bowler who was chasing his dream on the dusty ground of Rampura. He was part of the long list of exciting pace prospects in Indian cricket. The national side has struggled a lot for a long time to find an outright expressive pacer, who would hold his fitness and perform on benign surfaces.

Clocking speeds of over 150 kmph always brings excitement and fun. India’s neighbor, Pakistan, has produced several of these bowlers in their history, along with the other oppositions.

But the blue brigade has struggled in this department for a long time. Umran Maling and Mayank Yadav came in the recent past but didn’t survive long. Meanwhile, Umesh Yadav wasn’t a regular member of the side, despite his expressive pace, due to his errors in line and length.

But Ashok has shown the potential in the white-ball format, especially in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 for the Gujarat Titans (GT). He earned his way into the India A side during the recent Tri-Nation 2026 series in Sri Lanka, including Afghanistan A. 

With fearless spells, the youngster grabbed attention and rapidly transformed himself into a familiar name in the game from an unknown talent. But his story and rise over the years are not built overnight. It’s the story of relentless hard work, raw pace, and full belief in his skills.

Ashok overcame limited resources to impress the coaches with his superb speed and lit up the IPL. Every step of his journey taught him a lesson and brought him closer to wearing the India jersey, which could be real, having been named in India’s three-match T20I squad to tour Zimbabwe after the England series.

No nets, no coach — How a young Ashok Sharma learned to bowl to his brother in a Rampura corridor

Some stories of pacers, during their childhood days, start in the field, but for Ashok, it was his corridor outside the house. He used to bowl at his elder brother Akshay, surprisingly, with the only goal of hitting him. And what was the only way? The only way to do so was by bowling fast.

It was a revenge from Ashok’s side as his brother used to bowl fast at him. But they never imagined that this playful act would one day put him in the Indian squad.

See Also: Watch: IPL 2026: Ashok Sharma breathes fire with consistent 150 kmph deliveries vs RR

When Ashok got the ball in school cricket in Rampura, the batters of his age would move away from the stumps. It was not in terms of dismissals, but there was a fear of the pace, which wasn’t from the coaches.

It started from the corridor with the younger brother trying to hurt the elder. From that, it moved to the ground, which led to the school cricket, and from there, it went straight to the sheer pace of 154.2 kmph for the Titans against the Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in 2026. That pace pushed every fan to verify twice.

Rampura is around 80km from Jaipur in Rajasthan, where Nathulal Sharma used to farm during the day and drive the local newspaper at night. The earnings were around 10k a month, but his wife wanted the boys to focus on academics and secure a government job, as all the parents of this country want. That’s the safe and usual route after all.

But both sons’ dream was around the bat and ball. They wanted to play cricket, which their family couldn’t afford for both, and that was when the elder brother sacrificed for his younger one. 

Chasing speed — How Ashok Sharma turned raw pace into his biggest weapon

Nathulal enrolled Ashok at the Aravali Cricket Academy in Jaipur, which is run by Vivek Yadav, who is the former leg-spinner of Rajasthan. The travel of over an hour each way from the village wasn’t easy for the youngster, who, eventually, moved into the academy’s hostel to focus properly and made the Rajasthan U-19 side in 2019.

But for any fairytale story, there must be hardships, and it wasn’t different in Ashok’s case. The pandemic came in 2020, which forced everything to shut down. Apart from the lack of games, Yadav’s proper guidance over the Rampura boy was no more as Vivek passed away due to stomach cancer, aggravated by COVID.

“He came a few months back, and I took him to the farm where we were seeding wheat. I do cricket coaching and also look after my farm.” Akshay said during an interaction with Indian  Express.

See Also: Watch: Ashok Sharma's one-handed stunner dismisses Ishaq— IND A vs AFG A Tri Series 2026

Being in the U-19 side, Ashok started to earn enough to ask his father to rest as the senior-most Sharma of the family stopped driving at night to distribute the newspapers.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed the pacer in 2022, but many claimed it to be a fluke. The Rajasthan Royals also released the right-arm pacer after one season. But the villagers didn’t have any idea of the snub.

“He took the release from RR seriously and was eager to perform. The best thing that happened was that he got Ashish Nehra as a coach. Being a bowler himself, he understands a bowler’s mindset. He is like a computer. You just need to give him the command where to bowl, and he will keep hitting that area.” Ashok’s elder brother revealed.

154.2 kmph — The yorker that made the cricket world notice Ashok Sharma in IPL 2026

Ashok’s brother had full knowledge of what pace could do. And he also knew that India also falls in love with the raw pace in every season of the IPL. Having seen Umran and Mayank breaching the 150kmph mark in the recent past, he provided vital advice to Ashok.

“I told him that people are talking about you because you are doing well. So, keep your head down and continue the hard work. The destination is far. We have seen those times when nobody noticed us, people ignored us, and now they are connecting with us.” Akshay said of his younger brother.

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In the IPL 2026 game, everyone talks about Ashok coming against the Royals. His first ball of 147.4 kmph was drilled for a boundary, while the second ball of 149 kmph was timed for a six by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, another young sensation. 

That’s the issue with the pace. If one doesn’t have full control of it with the right field placement, line, and length, then, on most occasions, the bowlers would look at the sky straight after delivering the ball.

Ashok finally broke the 150 kmph mark on the third ball of the over, to which the left-handed batter tapped it to the mid-off region. The most exciting part was that not a single delivery of the over went under the 140 kmph mark. The last ball of his 16th over was at 154.2 kmph, as many fans and spectators started to recheck the speed on the giant screen.

Ashok has overall picked up six wickets in as many innings for GT during the IPL 2026 at an average of 38 and an expensive economy rate of 10.85. Still, he was fast-forwarded to the ODI format for the India A side, where he picked up one wicket in the only game he played against Sri Lanka A.

India’s next pace find? What Ashok Sharma's maiden T20I call-up vs Zimbabwe really means

Ashok’s maiden call-up for the T20I series against Zimbabwe is more than a reward for a few impressive performances. Along with all the fellow newcomers, he has earned the opportunity after impressing in domestic cricket and the IPL. His selection indicates India’s clear vision to invest in genuine pace, backing a bowler to trouble the batters consistently with his raw pace.

The real challenge begins now. International cricket isn’t the same as domestic cricket, as it demands far more than only pace. Along with the speed of the balls, one needs accuracy, smart variations, and the temperament to handle pressure at the highest level against world-class batters.

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Being a fast bowler, Ashok will have to work on his fitness to stay long in the national side. It’s not about getting a chance in the Indian squad for the very first time but also about holding the position for a long time.

Whether the GT pacer becomes India’s next sensation, it all depends on what he does after getting his maiden cap. But one thing to be assured of is that whenever he gets the chance, there will be a thunderbolt delivery coming, and the cricketing world will be watching closely.

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