IPL 2024 has certainly taken batting to a different level. Runs have been flowing freely as anything less than 200 is now being considered a below par total.
The ongoing season has so far witnessed 36 200-plus totals with some phenomenal performances, especially from the uncapped players. Young faces like Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma have shown that they are ready to don the blue Indian jersey and rub shoulders with some of the modern-era greats.
In the pool of such promising players, there is one man who isn’t as young as a Riyan or an Abhishek but has impressed experts with his belligerent stroke play.
He is Punjab Kings’ Shashank Singh.
Though the team got knocked out early this season, Shashank left a deep impact with his finishing skills.
The Chhattisgarh batter was Punjab’s mistaken purchase at the auction as the franchise seemingly wanted to have another player with the same name. But they had no option than to make peace with him once the hammer went down.
Comes the game against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad when Punjab were tasked to chase 200. After an early collapse, their ‘unwanted player’ smashed an unbeaten 61 to take PBKS home. If that knock wasn’t enough to please the pundits, he smashed an unbeaten 68 off 28 balls, with eight sixes, to aid PBKS register the highest run-chase in IPL history.
It’s a story in itself about how a mistaken purchase turned the fortunes of the franchise when given a chance.
With 352 runs in 12 matches and a strike-rate of 168.42, Shashank is the highest scorer of Punjab Kings in IPL 2024.
Heaping massive praise on the 32-year-old batter, commentator & cricket expert with IPL official TV Broadcaster, Harbhajan Singh said Shashank looks like a ‘ready product’, doesn’t matter if he is 30-plus.
“I would like to pick one name and it’s Shashank Singh. It’s okay if his age is 32-33, but mind you, that’s the age when you play your best game. In fact, I won the World Cup for India at the age of 33. If a guy is fit and fine, he can play till the age of 40-45,” Harbhajan said on the Star Sports Press Room show.
“Look at Dhoni, he is 42 and still playing for his franchise in the IPL. All you need to focus on your fitness. By the looks of his batting, Shashank looks a ready product and can play for India if given a chance. It will be great if the selectors see him in any series after the World Cup,” he added.
Shashank’s Mantra to Handle Pressure
Playing the finisher’s role requires the skillset to handle immense pressure and deliver.
Talking about handling pressure, Shashank had said, “I have shared a dressing room with Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant etc so I talk to them about how they handle pressure.”
“Sometimes we do yoga or cut down from social media for a day. We can’t go away from social media forever, but we can detach ourselves from it for the time being and then come back when you are in a good space. Fans praise and also troll. So even if it is good or bad, don’t take it to heart. Professional cricketers have learned to maintain balance with all such things over time,” he added.
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