Who is Ashok Sharma? 24-year-old Gujarat Titans bowler becomes India's latest T20 debutant

India’s tour of Zimbabwe began with the opening T20 match, which marked the debut of Ashok Sharma. The Indian speedster became the latest arrow in the Indian bowling unit upon receiving his debut cap on Thursday at Harare.

The Shreyas Iyer-led Men in Blue are back in action after a wayward performance during the Ireland and England tours.

Following the humiliating defeats, the Indian side would be aiming to pull off a stronger finish in the Zimbabwe tour, with Iyer seeking his first victory as India T20 captain.

Who is Ashok Sharma?

Born in Rajasthan, Ashok Sharma is a fast bowler who received cap number 123, becoming the latest joinee in India's T20 squad. He was among the three seamers alongside Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav in India's playing XI for the opening T20 match against Zimbabwe.

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The right-arm pace bowler served as a net bowler for the Rajasthan Royals before getting his first IPL contract in 2022 for the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 55 lakh. But Ashok never got to play for KKR and eventually returned to RR in 2025 after being picked for INR 30 lakh.

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But a return to Rajasthan did not do any justice either, as he primarily warmed the bench. Ahead of the 2026 season, the Gujarat Titans acquired Ashok for INR 90 lakh.

Ashok made a breakthrough in IPL 2026

The Gujarat Titans helped Ashok break into the scene. During the IPL 2026 season, he appeared in six matches and took six wickets, making a notable impact in the Titans' campaign.

In T20 cricket, Ashok played 16 matches and scalped 28 dismissals. He also made four FC and eight List-A appearances as well.

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India vs Zimbabwe 1st T20: Playing XIs

India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Ashok Sharma, and Mayank Yadav.

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (captain), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava, and Blessing Muzarabani.