33-year-old Raghu Sharma remained wicketless on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut. Mumbai Indians (MI) gave him another chance and he slowed down the flow of boundaries in a high-scoring game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). After dismissing debutant Akshat Raghuwanshi, the leg-spinner took out a note from his pocket and showed it to the crowd and cameras, thanking MI and recounting 15 years of hard work. After his relatively economical spell, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene lauded him in the dressing room. As MI got back to winning ways, Jayawardene revealed that Raghu wasn’t at his best and came to Sri Lanka for a 10-day camp in Colombo where he trained hard under the hot sun to hone in on his skills.
“He was a net bowler last year, right?” Jaywardene asked everyone in the dressing room.
“He worked really hard. According to the squad you never stop working hard. He came to Sri Lanka. Some people don't know he came for a 10-day camp. He wasn't bowling well so he worked even harder in Colombo under the hot sun. He promised one thing. He said I'll be ready for this. Well deserved to be here. You have a strong mind and a big heart,” the former Sri Lanka captain said.
Raghu’s spell vs LSG
Raghu was introduced in the 10th over of the innings. LSG skipper Rishabh Pant hit him for a six. After the 14-run over, Raghu bowled the 13th over. With his first ball, he got Raghuwanshi out caught and bowled. He conceded just four runs in the over.
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Here’s what Raghu wrote in the note: "Radhe Radhe. A very painful 15 years by divine mercy of Gurudeva ended today. Thanks Mumbai Indians (Blue and Gold) for giving me this opportunity. Ever grateful. Jai Shri Ram".
In the 15th over, he did not concede a single boundary against Himmat Singh and Aiden Markram. After another four-run over, Raghu was hit for a six each by Himmat and Markram in the 17th over. He returned with bowling figures of 36/1.
MI end losing streak
In batting friendly conditions, LSG set a target of 229 which was chased down by MI in the penultimate over. This was MI’s third win of the season, keeping them alive in the playoffs race technically. Their next game is against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 10 at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, Raipur.