Mohit Sharma’s comeback story is an inspiring one. Mohit remained on the sidelines for too long and when given a chance he let the ball do the talking. During his absence from cut-throat competition of Indian Premier League (IPL), he did not go into a shell or believe that his best days were behind him. Mohit did not mind being a net bowler for Gujarat Titans (GT) for more than a year and patiently waited for his chance. Picked for his base price of Rs 50 lakh, Mohit got a chance after a long wait of three years and he made it count.
Replacing a bruised and battered Yash Dayal in the side, Mohit was introduced in the 11th over of Punjab Kings' (PBKS) innings. In his second over, he got the wicket of Jitesh Sharma. Wriddhiman Saha was sure of the outside edge and Mohit and his first scalp on return. On top of it, he conceded just three runs from the over. In his next over, he kept Sam Curran and Bhanuka Rajapaksa with his variations. He was brought back into the attack to bowl the penultimate over. He got the wicket of Curran and conceded just six runs from the over. In his full quota of four overs, he conceded 18 runs and picked up two wickets.
After an exceptional performance with the ball, the 34-year-old was asked about his comeback after surgery and then bowling in the nets to making a successful IPL return. He lauded GT head coach Ashish Nehra for creating
“There was excitement, but also nervousness about making a comeback after a few years. (I) Have played domestic cricket in between. Last year I played domestic returning from a back surgery. Not many people knew I played domestic. (I) Got a call from Ashu pa (Nehra) to stay with the team. I thought it would be better than staying at home. Being a net bowler is not a bad thing. (It) Gives you a lot of exposure. The environment at GT is brilliant,” he said.
His previous IPL appearance was against PBKS only. Bowling for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2020, he conceded 45 runs from his quota of four overs and picked up one wicket.
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