Rampura (Jaipur): “Their thar comes out, yours will also come out. (His car will pass, so will yours)), quipped a young lad when asked about the home location of India’s new pace sensation Ashok Sharma.Ashok Sharma may be making a lot of noise with his pace in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), but reaching his village, about 35 km from Rajasthan’s capital Jaipur, is a tough task. There is a sudden exit on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and a few kilometers down this dusty lane, after carefully patrolling a hurried railway crossing, the road disappears. This is when you understand the true meaning of “fasten your seat belts” and the divide between the two Indias.
“Shame to call people. There is no way. (I feel shy to invite people. Ashok’s elder brother, Akshay Sharma, welcomes us to his home, saying, “There isn’t even a proper road.” The location ends a few hundred meters before the residence, requiring maneuvering on narrow lanes with several hairpin turns.Ashoka’s village reflects the true feel of rural India. There are two-storied houses, coolers remain a valuable asset, and the village is yet to have proper roads. Still, there is a sense of peace, which Akshay says the family has chosen not to leave behind.
Ashok Sharma’s father Nathulal Sharma (left) and his elder brother Akshay Sharma (Photo Credit: Pratiyush Raj)
“Calm down (Here is peace). Ashok also likes her. Everything started from here, whether I was playing cricket or he made great progress. Ashoka always says, ‘Whatever happens, they will not leave their village.(Whatever happens, we will never leave our native village), says Akshay, sweeping the cot under one of the two neem trees in front of his house. The front yard still remains a cozy space in the Sharma household, providing enough space to accommodate two ‘charpais’ and shade guests, with birds providing a soothing background score.It is rare to see a present-day Indian cricketer, who has already played in the Ranji Trophy and the IPL, living in his village. The amount of money Indian cricketers earn, especially with the advent of the IPL, is huge, and a lavish lifestyle often follows. However, Ashok Sharma believes in simplicity and focuses on his performance. Akshay says that his brother does not care about such luxuries.
Ashok likes it here. He gets up at 5, goes to the ground to run, trains for three hours, comes back at 8 and then goes to bed. He has become very conscious of his diet, especially after a knee injury during his stint with KKR.
Akshay Sharma
He loves it here. He gets up at 5, goes to the ground to run, trains for three hours, comes back at 8 and then goes to bed. He has become very conscious about his diet, especially after suffering a knee injury during his stint with KKR. He always says that he would take that wonderful five-star life any day. Its diet is also simple. He likes home cooking. Diet, recovery and sleep are now the three most important parts of his training routine,” he adds.At the start of the conversation, Ashok and Akshay’s father, Nathulal Sharma, joins the conversation with his electric scooter, a gift from his younger son. He had returned from a shift in the fields, wearing a torn shirt and mud-stained pants, and he took a breath before settling into the cot. “The harvest of Gihon is underway. (The wheat harvest is in progress),” he says with a smile.
Ashok Sharma’s father Nathulal Sharma with the electric scooter gifted by his son. (Photo Courtesy: Pratiyush Raj)
Meanwhile, Ashok’s mother Lali Devi comes with a glass. Beak A traditional steel glass for all, the thick texture of the drink, and just the right amount of house spices made it refreshing at first sip. Lali Devi had a smile on her face as the drink was consumed within seconds and she offered a refill before adding, “Akshay and Ashok also like it quite a bit, after playing Ghunton cricket“(This is something that Akshay and Ashok also really like, especially after playing cricket for hours).Ashok has always seen Akshay as his inspiration. Akshay instilled the fast bowling in his younger brother, with the satisfaction he got from striking fear into the batsmen’s heads. What started as a prank in a nearby field soon turned into a frenzy of speed gun fire.
I used to enjoy intimidating batsmen. It gave me a sense of satisfaction, and when they were scared, it felt like I had accomplished something.
Akshay Sharma
“We were both in a hurry. It was fun to scare the batsmen, it was a consolation, and when woo dharte to lug tha ki kuch khi hai (I enjoyed scaring the batsmen). It gave me a sense of satisfaction, and when they got scared, it felt like I had achieved something,” recalls Akshay.Fast bowling came naturally to the Sharma brothers. Growing up, he had heard stories of his uncle Ram Dayal Sharma, a fearsome fast bowler from the village. He still lives in the opposite house and would be proud to see his nephew carry on the menacing tradition.“I didn’t even see him bowling. He gave up cricket a long time ago, but we heard he was very fast. He used to get special invitations to play in nearby villages. He had long hair, just like MS Dhoni,” he says.
Akshay holding his daughter Raja, while his father Nathulal Sharma looks on (Photo Courtesy: Pratiyush Raj)
Nathulal Sharma, sitting nearby and keeping an eye on his two-year-old granddaughter Raja, lit up at the mention. “My brother was fast. These two have followed in his footsteps,” he adds.For the Sharma family, Ashok is living the unfulfilled dreams of his uncle and brother. On March 30, the family learned that Ashok, who has previously been with Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, will make his IPL debut for Gujarat Titans.Excited, the family drove to Chandigarh, about 450 km from their village, and arrived in time to see Ashok play live for the first time.“We have been to the stadium before. They gave us passes when they were with Rajasthan Royals, but this felt different,” says Akshay.
Ashok was always breaking things. He broke a lot of things. Akshay used to get beaten up because of this.
Lali Devi
A day later, Ashok invited his family to Ahmedabad for Gujarat’s second match. Instead of taking a flight, they chose to travel by train, a journey of about 10 hours from Jaipur.When asked if he had ever traveled by flight, Nathulal Sharma shook his head slowly and said, “No (Not yet),” added Akshay jokingly.He puts a fence on them (He is afraid of flying). Lali Devi, who was listening quietly, joins in and says.The jury will go on a ship for a day (We will travel by flight someday).Ashok has become a superstar for the village. Whoever you ask proudly leads you to his home, because he is one of them. But to Nathulal and Lali Devi, he remains a mischievous child, and each has an almost identical story.
Ashok Sharma (left) with his elder brother Akshay Sharma (Special Arrangement)
Nathulal Sharma says, “If Akshay is peaceful, then Ashoka is devil (If Akshay is calm, Ashok is mischievous).“He used to skip school. He always made some weird excuse to leave early,” Akshay says quickly.Lali Devi adds,Todphod poor day is enough. Kitna samaan toda hai usne. Akshay was beaten in his circle? (He was always breaking things. He broke a lot of things. Akshay used to get beaten up due to this).Akshay smiles and says,Once, Papa used to drink from his belt too (Once papa even beat me with a belt because of them).
Ashok Sharma’s mother Lali Devi (Photo Courtesy: Pratiyush Raj)
Despite all his mischief, Ashok, the youngest brother, is the favorite child of the family.“In 2023, when he was with KKR, at the end of the season I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he immediately said, ‘Thar vahi, nahi dogge toh ghar nahi aoonga’ (I want Thar). If you don’t buy it, I won’t come home,” laughs Akshay.Ashok’s dream car is now parked outside his house and is a major attraction for the village children. Considering the condition of the roads in the village, an off-road vehicle was a smart choice.
Ashok Sharma’s dream car outside his home in Rampura.
The family is grateful to Ashok’s mentor Vivek Yadav, a former Ranji Trophy cricketer, who took him under his wing and was immediately impressed with his pace.“In 2019, when he was 17, I took him to Aravali Cricket Academy, where Vivek Bhaiya was impressed with his pace. Ashok was unsettled, but he got him straight into the senior team. He asked me to let Ashok stay in the academy, and it helped him become a better cricketer,” says Akshay.However, the Covid pandemic changed everything. The lockdown forces Ashok to return home, where the road in front of his house becomes his training ground. The biggest blow came on 5 May 2021, when Vivek Yadav, a two-time Ranji Trophy champion with Rajasthan, died of complications.
In 2023, when he was with KKR, at the end of the season I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. He immediately said, I want Thar. If you don’t buy it, I won’t come home.
Akshay Sharma
“He didn’t speak for weeks. We thought the dream was over. No one knew us and we were clueless. But Vikas Bhaiyya called and told us that he would fulfill his brother’s dream, and that the academy would do everything possible to help him reach his potential,” recalls Akshay.After being picked by Gujarat Titans for Rs 90 lakh last year, Ashok shared an emotional message about his mentor.
Ashok Sharma with his late coach Vivek Yadav (Ashok Sharma | Instagram)
“That was the last time I cried. I thought my career was over. He wanted me to play for India. He used to say, ‘You will play for India very soon, you will play top-level cricket very soon’,” Ashok said.Ashok has a long way to go to achieve this dream. But the 23-year-old pacer certainly knows the importance of patience and persistence, and that he is just off the blocks.At Aravali Cricket Academy, coaches Vikas Yadav, Jagminder Singh, and others are hopeful that Ashok Vivek will fulfill Yadav’s dream. Back home, Akshay, who gave up cricket for his brother, hopes that with Ashok’s success, a proper road will finally lead to Rampura, a village that could end India’s long wait for an out-and-out fast bowler.
