Pacer Mohit Sharma came a full circle in the Indian Premier League when he finished as the best bowler in the Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans lineup in Mohali. In his first IPL match since 2020, Mohit took 2 for 18 in his four overs as GT restricted Punjab to 153 for 8. Not many know that Mohit was the net bowler of the Titans after facing a snub in the IPL 2022 mega auction last year. Before this Punjab game, Mohit’s last spell was for Delhi Capitals in 2020 in which he conceded 45 runs in 4 overs. This might be the last time Mohit played in the IPL. But his persistence, hard work and some support carried him through.
Mohit was not considered to be of sufficient quality to be included in any team in IPL 2021 and 2022 after a poor performance last season. GT’s head coach Ashish Nehra asked him to continue playing domestic cricket. Last year, he asked Mohit to be a part of GT as a net bowler so that whenever a slot opens in future, he can raise his hand. In the IPL 2023 mini-auction, he put his name up for auction again and GT eventually bid to buy him at his base price of Rs 50 lakh. Mohit had taken Rs 6.5 crore in 2016. Mohit has indeed seen highs and lows in IPL.
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Brilliant bowling, brilliant fielding to set up an intriguing chase#PBKSVGT #awade #TATAIPL 2023 pic.twitter.com/yCLQg1LkOk— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) April 13, 2023
Mohit Sharma – Purple Cap holder; world cup semi-finalists
Mohit was the Purple Cap holder in IPL 2014 with 23 wickets in 16 matches when he was playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His long stay with CSK and good performances there earned him the India Cap as well. Mohit played 26 ODIs and 8 T20 matches for India and took 37 international wickets. He was also selected for the India ODI squad for the World Cup in 2015.
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Brilliant performance by Mohit Bhai on his GT debut! ,#PBKSVGT #awade #TATAIPL 2023 pic.twitter.com/ObvOIypfQG— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) April 13, 2023
How GT revived Mohit Sharma’s career
Mohit Sharma was not a favorite among the franchises after a poor performance in IPL 2020. After this, he had back surgery last year. But on Nehra’s advice he did not stop playing domestic cricket and even joined GT as their net bowler. It would have required a lot of courage for the India fast bowler to shed his ego and become a net bowler. Mohit felt that it was better to keep playing than sitting at home and hence took up the role of a net bowler.
Speaking on his return, Mohit said he was equal parts nervous and excited before bowling his first ball in the IPL in three years and is happy to have done well for a team that helped him revive his T20 career. is of. Talking about his return, he mentioned Nehra’s name. Mohit said his Ashu bhai Played a big role in making his comeback possible.
“Last year I played domestic coming back from back surgery. Not many people knew I played domestic. Got a call from Ashu Pa to be with the team. I thought it would be better than staying at home ( About being a net bowler for GT last year). Being a net bowler is not a bad thing. Gives you a lot of exposure. The atmosphere at GT is fantastic,” Mohit said after his brilliant spell against Punjab on Thursday night .