R Ashwin hails 'unsung hero' Sandeep Sharma after RR begin IPL 2024 with win against LSG

Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Sandeep Sharma as a unsung hero after Rajasthan Royals began the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) with a 20-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on Sunday.

Skipper Sanju Samson led from the front, smashing an unbeaten 82 off 52 balls to propel the inaugural IPL champions to a commanding 193/4. LSG then lost wickets upfront to get reduced to 11/3, with Trent Boult removing opener Quinton de Kock as well as Devdutt Padikkal while rattling the top-order with some short-pitched stuff.

Sharma, however, played an important role in Rajasthan's victory as well as he not only conceded just five runs in his first over, at a stage when LSG skipper Rahul (58) and Nicholas Pooran (64 not out) were going hammer-and-tongs, but also broke the 85-run stand between the two set batters by removing Rahul.

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The right-arm seamer also kept it largely tight in the penultimate over of the game with LSG needing 38 from the last two, giving away only 11 runs while also nearly producing another wicket. Sandeep would finish with figures of 1/22 as LSG could go manage 173/6 in reply, starting their season with a defeat as a result.

Read | Samson's familiar start, Rahul returns in style and more top moments from RR vs LSG

Ashwin said a 'bowler for a fight' is way more valuable than skills at times and Sandeep proved so, having done well in last season too when he helped Royals secure a three-run win against Chennai Super Kings despite MS Dhoni hitting two sixes in his final over.

"The game is built by perception. Sandeep has been an unsung hero. He stepped up for Prasidh (Krishna) last year," Ashwin said after Rajasthan won by 20 runs.

"He (Sandeep) is a character; it's about the fight they have. A bowler for a fight is way more valuable than a bowler with a skill. There are two bouncers to be used, and that's the only fillip the bowlers have got in this competition," he added.

Ashwin said the pitch behaved differently in the two halves of the game.

Photos | RR ride on Sanju Samson's unbeaten 82 to beat LSG by 20 runs

"It was a wicket of two halves. When we batted first, it stuck in the pitch. Sometimes it is tough...," he said.

"After the eight-over mark, we felt the wicket was a good one. In our view, we were ten (runs) short. It was a good pitch; it tends to get better here," Ashwin said.

The ace spinner said it was a tough start for him to give away 15 runs in his first over but he knew he had to shift gears at different stages of the game.

"I went for 12 (runs) off the first ball I bowled. I bowl in different stages of the game. The body is ageing. (It) requires (a) different mindset," he said.

"I came from a Test series. I went for 15 (runs) in the first over that was inside the powerplay. The moment that phase of the game is done, I try to shell it away."

Read | Don't think any team has cracked powerplay yet, says KL Rahul

"The next three overs of mine went for 20, and I got a wicket... Most importantly, (it is about) preparing for every single batter in the opposition," Ashwin added.

With PTI inputs