In the Punjab Kings' (PBKS) IPL 2024 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday, Shashank Singh was instrumental in the team's comeback, but he wasn't the only relatively unknown and fresh player to do well. Ashutosh Sharma, a teammate of Shashank, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who led SRH to victory over PBKS with a 37-ball 64, were two other examples.
Shashank contends that the players' perseverance and self-belief in domestic cricket translate into success in a competition such as the IPL. 'Belief in oneself is the only thing.' similar to how we do domestic cricket. Much as you see Nitish (Reddy) of SRH here. After Tuesday's game at Mullanpur, Shashank stated, 'He usually scores and takes wickets in white-ball and red-ball cricket (in domestic competitions).'
'How we play cricket in our home country. The 32-year-old said Nitish and Ashutosh have performed in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare, and Mushtaq Ali, (same for) Angkrish.
Shashank stated that maintaining high standards in domestic cricket was just as crucial as the players' performance in the Indian Premier League. "These athletes may be unfamiliar to you, but they are well-known competitors on the home circuit. Their accomplishments in the IPL are a reward for their success in the home circuit (hard work). Here is where you must continue your domestic performance. At this level, cricket is a game of self-belief, the Chhattisgarh player went on.
Even though Shashank was sad that PBKS didn't win, he nonetheless acknowledged the loss and gave Ashutosh Sharma credit for his performance. After SRH had reached 182/9 thanks to a knock by Nitish Reddy, Shashank (46 off 25) and Ashutosh (33 off 15) had a half-century stand for the seventh wicket, but their efforts were in vain as they lost by two runs.
It hurts the most to lose a match because we play to win, even if we lose by two runs. A loss is a loss is a loss, two runs or twenty. With his batting in the last over, I have to give Ashutosh credit for altering the tide of the contest. We believed it was feasible up to the very last ball, Shashank remarked.
Also Read: Deshpande reveals the mastermind behind the Dhoni and Jadeja prank
