One of India’s and the world’s fastest bowlers, Ashok Sharma, has decided to part ways with his domestic team Rajasthan after just one season. The 23-year-old had made his competitive debut in October and was Rajasthan’s bowler across formats. However, Ashok doesn’t feel staying in Rajasthan will help his career.
Ashon Sharma to play for Gujarat
According to TheSootr, he has taken a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) and decided to play for Gujarat in domestic cricket. He’ll join the likes of Urvil Patel, Harshal Patel, and Ravi Bishnoi and will look to help Gujarat end their 9-year trophy drought. Back in 2023, Bishnoi had left Rajasthan for Gujarat as well.
The Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) had approached Ashok last year, but the pacer rejected the offer last season. After an impressive outing with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Anil Patel, Secretary of the GCA, was finally able to persuade him ahead of the 2026-27 domestic season, which will commence on October 11 with the Ranji Trophy.
Rajasthan confident despite exit
The RCA, which is currently governed by a government-appointed Ad Hoc Committee, asked Ashok about the reason behind his departure, and he informed them that he doesn’t have any issues with the management or board but feels switching from Rajasthan to Gujarat is right for his career.
Last season, Ashok was Rajasthan’s fourth highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy, Rajasthan’s highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), and the joint highest wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). However, despite that, RCA is confident they’ll perform well with other fast bowlers like Akash Singh and Aniket Chaudhary in the team.
Ashok Sharma’s bowling stats for Rajasthan
| Innings | Wickets | Best Figures | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranji Trophy | 7 | 14 | 3/69 | 29.71 | 4.00 | 44.57 |
| VHT | 7 | 13 | 5/58 | 30.38 | 6.69 | 27.23 |
| SMAT | 10 | 22 | 4/16 | 15.63 | 9.25 | 10.13 |
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