Sandeep Sharma, a seasoned veteran of the Indian Premier League, not too long ago shared an interesting behind-the-scenes story, throughout an unique interview with CricTracker, that sheds mild on the supportive tradition inside the Punjab Kings franchise. The fitting-arm pacer, who has taken 146 wickets in his 137 IPL matches, recounted a particular incident from the 2017 season that concerned a heartwarming gesture from the staff’s co-owner, Preity Zinta. The story not solely reveals a key second in his profession but in addition highlights a exceptional act of sportsmanship between him and his then-teammate, Axar Patel.
PBKS bowler Sandeep Sharma’s match-winning spell towards Virat Kohli’s RCB
The incident unfolded throughout the 2017 IPL season in a tense match towards Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru). It was a low-scoring affair the place Punjab managed to defend a below-par complete of simply 138 runs. Sandeep was the architect of this unbelievable victory, delivering a match-winning spell of three wickets for 22 runs.
His contribution was particularly important as a result of he dismissed the core of RCB’s high order, the formidable trio of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers. Nonetheless, Sandeep’s teammate, Axar Patel, additionally delivered an excellent all-around efficiency that day. Axar not solely scored a quickfire 38 runs off simply 17 balls, however he additionally took 3 wickets for less than 11 runs, making him a major candidate for the Participant of the Match award. The stage was set for a dilemma, as each gamers had put in match-winning performances, however the honor was finally supposed to go to Axar, given his extraordinary all-round heroics in a low-scoring recreation.
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PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta’s heartfelt gesture
Because the displays for the post-match awards had been being organized, an uncommon and unheard-of flip of occasions occurred. In accordance with Sandeep, Preity Zinta, the co-owner of the Punjab Kings, intervened to vary the choice. She spoke with Ravi Shastri, the presenter on the time, and made a compelling case for Sandeep, telling him,
“There are a variety of such tales, however I should give it some thought. We had been taking part in a match in Bengaluru towards RCB. And I had taken three wickets with the brand new ball. Virat, ABD and Chris Gayle. So in that match, truly, the Participant of the Match was imagined to be Axar Patel, who had additionally taken two wickets in that match and it was a low-scoring recreation. Within the final over, he had scored 25 runs [19 runs] and scored 38 runs [in total],” Sandeep mentioned.
“However the Participant of the Match was his, when you take a look at it. So Preity ma’am was there and he or she informed Ravi Shastri there that the Participant of the Match must be Sandy, he has picked three massive wickets. And truly, they gave me the Participant of the Match. That was one candy factor. And I truly went and supplied it to Axar. However, he informed me that these three wickets had been crucial. In any other case, 138 runs wouldn’t have been defended anyplace,” Sandeep concluded.
Her phrases had the specified impact, because the award was formally introduced to Sandeep, a gesture that he deeply appreciated. Nonetheless, the story doesn’t finish there. In a exceptional show of sportsmanship, Sandeep walked over and supplied the award to Axar Patel, acknowledging his teammate’s excellent all-around contribution. Axar, in flip, refused to just accept it, insisting that Sandeep’s three essential wickets had been the true purpose they had been capable of defend such a small complete. The incident stands as a robust instance of each a considerate gesture from a staff proprietor and the respect and camaraderie amongst teammates.
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