Ashok Sharma scaring batsmen with 150 kmph pace:No roads in his village, brother said, ‘I feel ashamed to invite anyone home’

Ashok Sharma, who makes batsmen sweat with his 150 kmph speed in the IPL, is making headlines these days. But, the road to his village Rampura, located just 35 kilometres from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is still very rough. After getting off the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, there is no paved road to reach the village. Hesitation in inviting to the village, but deep attachment to roots Ashok’s elder brother, Akshay Sharma, says with disappointment, “We feel ashamed to invite people here, because there is no proper road here.” Despite these difficulties, the Sharma family has immense love for their roots and village. Akshay says that even after becoming part of a multi-crore league, Ashok prefers simplicity. He often says, “No matter what happens, we will not leave our village. He wakes up at 5 AM, goes for a run on the field, trains, and homemade simple food and buttermilk are the main part of his diet.” Ashok gifted an electric scooter to his father Ashok’s father, Nathulal Sharma, still works in the fields today. He returns from the field on an electric scooter gifted by his younger son, dressed in torn clothes and mud-stained pants. Ashok’s mother, Lali Devi, smiles and says that Ashok was very mischievous as a child. He used to break a lot of household items, due to which his elder brother, Akshay, often had to bear the brunt. Ashok, the family’s favourite, insisted on a ‘Thar’ vehicle for his birthday last year while he was with the KKR team. Now, this SUV is a centre of attraction for the village children and has also proven to be a good choice considering the village roads. Both brothers had a passion for fast bowling since childhood. Akshay says that he enjoyed scaring batsmen with his pace. Behind this passion is the inspiration of their uncle, Ramdayal Sharma, who was considered the village’s fearsome fast bowler in his time and kept long hair like MS Dhoni. Gujarat Titans bought him for 90 lakhs
Last year, Gujarat Titans bought Ashok for 90 lakh rupees, and this year, he made his debut. The family travelled 450 kilometres to Chandigarh to watch him play live for the first time. After that, for the next match in Ahmedabad, Ashok called his family, but instead of a flight, they chose a 10-hour train journey from Jaipur. When Ashok’s father, Nathulal, was asked if he had ever travelled by flight, he slowly shook his head and said, ‘No.’ On this, elder brother Akshay quipped that his father is afraid of flying in a plane. Mother Lali Devi, who was sitting quietly nearby, joined the conversation and said with great confidence that one day we will definitely go on a plane. Meanwhile, brother Akshay hopes that the glow of Ashok’s splendid success will perhaps now bring a paved road to Rampura village’s destiny.