Harare, July 23 — Fast bowler Ashok Sharma described making his international debut in the first T20I against Zimbabwe as a ‘dream come true’ and dedicated the milestone moment to his elder brother.
Ashok received his India cap from bowling coach Sunil Joshi ahead of the toss, marking the culmination of years of hard work in the domestic circuit. During the cap presentation, stand-in head coach VVS Laxman reminded the youngster of the significance of the achievement.
“We know Ashok is going to make his international debut, and we discussed that it's a matter of great honour. Representing the country, all your hard work, and all your performances were rewarded by this opportunity.”
Hailing from Rampura, a small village near Jaipur, Ashok is five years younger than his brother, Akshay, who also played cricket. But their family’s tight financial situation, especially with his father working as a driver to deliver newspapers, meant only one could play the sport.
Then Akshay decided to give up his own dream so that Ashok could attend the inter-district Under-16 trials. That decision paid off as Ashok rose through the ranks to now play for India.
“It's very special. The thing for which I was working hard, hopefully today it's fulfilled. It's a dream. Till now it's a dream, sir, whatever it was. Even now it's a dream that I wore the cap of India, and my dream has come true. I dedicate this moment to my elder brother,” added an emotional Ashok.
Although Ashok went wicketless in his four-over spell, conceding 29 runs, his inclusion reflects the team management's strategy of broadening the fast-bowling reservoirs in the shortest format. Before this, Ashok was in the India A team in the 50-over tri-series win and also clocked a 154.2 kmph delivery for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026.
India went on to win the match comfortably by seven wickets, restricting Zimbabwe to 125/7 before chasing down the target with 40 balls to spare and taking a 1-0 lead in the three-game series. The next match will be played at the same venue on Saturday.