Punjab Kings batter Ashutosh Sharma opened up about his battle with depression at one point in his burgeoning cricketing career.
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Sharma on his battle with depression
Sharma, 25, recently had a heroic performance with a 28-ball 61 in a loss against the Mumbai Indians.
In four matches this IPL 2024, Sharma’s knock consists of 2 fours and 7 sixes at a strike rate of 217.86, which resulted to 156 runs.
The batter looked back at a rough moment in his life when he experienced having depression.
“There was a time when I wasn’t even allowed to get a feel of the cricket ground,” Sharma said.
“I would go to the gym and retire to my hotel room. I was sinking into depression and no one told me what my fault was. A new coach had joined Madhya Pradesh and he had strong likes and dislikes and despite scoring 90 odd in 45 balls in a trial match, I was dropped from the team,” Sharma said.
Sharma even recalled his alleged falling out with then Madhya Pradesh head coach Chandrakant Pandit.
“I had three fifties in six Mushtaq Ali games in the previous season, yet I wouldn’t even be allowed to go to the ground. I was very depressed,” the 25-year-old told reporters.
An offer from Railways changed the trajectory of his career during the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
This also paved the way for Sharma to sign with the Kings in the auction ahead of IPL 2024.
“Despite those harrowing times, I didn’t leave my practice. Luckily, I got a job in the Railways. It was a God-sent opportunity for me. Railways supported me a lot. Last year, I got a chance in the T20s and I did well in the Mushtaq Ali tournament for Railways,” Ashutosh said.
“It was tough to come out of that difficult phase, but I had belief that I would be able to do it.”
