Ashok Sharma: 'Whoever starts bowling fast dreams of bowling 150 one day'

Impossible. That is the tattoo inked on the inside of the left arm of Gujarat Titans fast bowler Ashok Sharma to remind himself everything is possible as long as you work hard to achieve it. That determination is what has carried the 6'1" 23-year-old from Rampurara village in Rajasthan, who once used to bowl barefoot and in flip-flops in the bylanes, to domestic cricket for his state and, in the last few years, to the IPL, where more than one franchise recognised his bowling talent.

Having been part of Kolkata Knight Riders squad and Rajasthan Royals squads in the last two years without getting a game, Ashok made his IPL debut with Titans this season and made headlines instantly with his scorching speeds, including the fastest delivery recorded so far this season. But he also endured the toughest match of his short career when Titans lost their home match against Mumbai Indians, Ashok being carted for 38 runs. A day after that match, he spoke to ESPNcricinfo about his journey, learnings and achieving his dreams at speed.

What is the story behind the tattoo on your left arm?
I got this tattoo about a year and a half ago. I was at home and spotted the word "impossible" somewhere. It struck me that I could strike off "im" in the impossible to get the tattoo. The idea behind it was that while [working out in] the gym or bowling [hard] or running, [sometimes] negative thoughts enter the mind ki ho gaaya yaar ab nahin ho paayega [I can't do this anymore]. For example, if I am doing a 2km time trial run, at times I get weary and the thought arrives that I am done today. But then I remember there is nothing that is not possible in this world. Do it. Aaj hee karega tab aage jaa ke kuch milega [If I do this today, it'll pay off tomorrow].

A lot has changed in your life in the past three to four months: from getting picked at the IPL auction by Gujarat Titans to playing warm-up matches with India A at the 2026 T20 World Cup, and now playing in the IPL. How do you feel?
I had a dream to play [at the highest level] and I feel it is steadily being fulfilled. Obviously, the best is yet to come; I am just learning to contribute to the team but I am putting in all my effort.

You delivered a 154.2kph ball to Dhruv Jurel in the match against Rajasthan Royals - the fastest delivery of this season so far, and among the quickest bowled in IPL history. How did it feel, bowling at that speed in just your first season?
As a child, watching someone bowl 150kph, I would dream some day I would do the same. In those days I would watch Brett Lee, Dale Steyn, and wonder how much effort they must require, how long they run in, how fast they bowled. I would ask myself how they felt doing all that. Now I feel it [myself].

"Initially it was very difficult, my hand position was awkward, the ball was not pitching properly - sometimes it pitched in front of me, sometimes well outside the cut strip. I would literally bowl legspin at times; essentially, I had minimal control" On developing his back-of-the-hand slower ball

"Bahut badi baat hain 150 dalna." [Bowling at 150 kph is a big deal] Whoever starts bowling fast dreams of bowling 150 one day. I had the same dream, which I have now achieved. But at the moment my dream is to make the team win.

When was the first time you clocked 150kph?
It was against Hyderabad during the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I did not even feel it, but while fielding on the boundary, one of my [Rajasthan] team-mates had come to give me water and said I had bowled 150. I said, don't joke, let me focus on fielding. But once I went back [to the change room] and saw the clip, I realised I had indeed bowled 150.

Before the match against Mumbai Indians, you had the fastest average speed among those who have bowled a minimum of 60 balls in the IPL - 145.6kph. Do you go in with the aim of bowling fast?
Not really. I don't go into a match thinking I have to bowl fast. I bowl normally, but nowadays it is coming out fast (chuckles).

If you are bowling regularly at such high speeds, it is important you take care of your body, pay attention to recovery - gym, pool, training - and if you are able to manage all that then you can bowl well. Otherwise, you are bound to get small or big injuries.

Have you changed anything specific in your daily habits or routines in terms of your food and fitness in the past year or two?
For more than two years I've avoided sugar in anything. I train on a regular basis. I have a personal trainer, Vinay Meena, in Jaipur. I regularly talk to him about where and what more I can do to improve my fitness. About a year and a half ago he was telling me that I should bowl 150kph one day. I said, "150? 150 is easy." Obviously I was joking, but I even placed a bet on getting there one day. Now we laugh about that incident.

So you had a sweet tooth?
A big sweet tooth. Ras malai was my favourite. When I see it now, I don't get tempted anymore, but previously I would have it whether it was at home or at weddings or any functions. Now I eat healthy, including the proteins and vitamins necessary to keep myself strong and fit. For around the last year and a half I [have maintained my] weight between 80 and 82kg.

How long is your run-up?
About 22.80 metres [24 yards approximately]. It has stayed more or less the same in the past few years.

You have played six matches so far this IPL. Which spells or bowling performances did you enjoy personally?
The first match itself was very special, against Punjab. In my last over [the 18th of the innings, when PBKS needed 21 runs from the last 18 deliveries], I gave [five] runs and picked up one wicket [Marco Jansen]. In the kind of situation we were in, the team needed wickets and that is why I felt it was special when I got that wicket. During the timeout Ashish sir [Ashish Nehra, GT head coach] and bhaiya [Shubman Gill, GT captain] said the ball was stopping in the pitch, so I should focus on bowling the slower and back-of-length balls and not bowl fuller.

Earlier today I was speaking with your GT senior team-mate Ishant Sharma and he said when he was your age, the type of pitch never mattered. It was about thinking about bowling fast and bowling fast for him. Do you have some knowledge now about the different soils of pitches?
Not really. I have some idea from speaking to the seniors, but all wickets [during the IPL] are pretty similar in my opinion. You have to keep your thinking [open] and understand your bowling will need to be different on different wickets and manage that accordingly.

In the PBKS match, you were bouncing Shreyas Iyer, which probably was the tactical plan, to bowl short at him. But then you got Jansen with a clever change of pace. Can you talk about that?
When Shreyas Iyer came in to bat, our plan was that we would need to bowl bouncers at him, so I was sticking to our plan. When I came to bowl at the death, they needed about 22 runs from 18 deliveries. So I knew that I couldn't bowl bouncers then, that too against overseas batters, who are better at the short delivery, usually. So based on that wicket, slower balls, hard lengths and yorkers were better options.

"Watching Dale Steyn videos inspired me to be like him. The way you could see it in his eyes. He was a match-winner; the day he had rhythm, he would win the match on his own"

Your ability to vary speeds is remarkable. You've gone from 145kph-plus to the 105kph mark. How did you learn that?
When I was 16 or 17, I had a friend who would bowl back-of-the-hand slower balls in tennis-ball cricket. Toh mujhe bahut pyaari ball lagi thi. [I really liked that delivery] People normally bowl offcutters, knuckleball etc. [as variations of the slower ball] but I thought, let me try this [back-of-the-hand] ball with a normal cricket ball at my academy. Initially it was very difficult, my hand position was awkward, the ball was not pitching properly - sometimes it pitched right in front of me, sometimes outside the cut strip. I would literally bowl legspin at times; essentially, I had minimal control.

My academy coach stressed that I should practise that delivery and work hard on it. He said that if I added it to my skill set, it would serve me well. Then, when I joined Kolkata Knight Riders [in 2025] Rasikh Salam, who is a dear friend, helped me a lot. He bowls a really nice back-of-the-hand slower delivery. I asked him for tips and he helped me a lot, which is coming in handy now. Rasikh would tell me I couldn't go and bowl that delivery in training straightaway, that I should instead stand and then toss the ball and steadily build towards bowling with a run-up.

Gradually it became my strength. While bowling quick, if you have the ability to bowl the back-of-the-hand ball at slow speeds, and if you put it in the right spot, it can be a wicket-taking delivery.

You must have taken a lot of time to get better at this type of delivery?
Yes, about one and a half years easily, and I am still learning to improvise.

Do you have second thoughts about bowling this type of delivery in a match?
Everyone has doubts, bowler or batter [when they try something new]. But once it starts happening, you get the confidence slowly. I speak a lot with Gill bhaiya during the match, to check what is a good option to go for during the match based on the batter and the wicket and the situation. I present him the options, and he usually asks me what I feel is good before we decide what to go with.

Did you follow the IPL auction live?
Yes, myself and my room-mate Mukul Choudhary [currently with Lucknow Super Giants] were following it in Pune, where we were playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I was obviously happy that three teams - KKR, Rajasthan Royals and GT - wanted to buy me. And even if I was bought at Rs 30 lakh [base price] or this [90 lakhs] is the same for me. The good thing for me being with GT is, I get to learn a lot about fast bowling, because Ashish sir is here, as well as Ishant bhaiya, [Mohammad] Siraj bhaiya, Prasidh [Krishna] bhaiya. All these guys have a lot of experience. Ishant bhaiya has played over 100 Tests, sir [Nehra] has played so much for India. I can only learn whatever I can [from them] and improve my bowling.

How has Nehra helped you with your bowling in terms of planning?
He always stands behind the bowler during training. He talks about reading a batsman. As a fast bowler, the first thing he has told us is that we should be able to bowl Test-match lengths. He has always stressed that it is important how much control we have on pitching on that length consistently, six balls in a row. Only after that, he says, can we work on the yorkers, slower ones etc. and master them.

He will ask me to bowl a yorker to a batsman, a slower one to another. He will set a challenge, and if you can do that in the nets, then in a match it doesn't feel that hard to execute.

And Ishant?
He saw me playing SMAT and told me that I have to back myself, because there will be a lot of ups and downs in my career, which has just started. His point is to learn from what has happened instead of getting demotivated. Take it in a positive way as to how much better you can execute, where you can improve.

Siraj bhaiya said the same thing and helped me a lot after the defeat [against MI]. He pointed out that if I think negatively, it will hamper me further. He used his own example, saying he had been hit for 50 runs in three matches while playing for India and got just one wicket. He said that didn't mean I am a bad bowler. So his message to me was: it happens to everyone. But how you bounce back, how you think you can be better in coming matches, that is what matters. So all these guys keep motivating me all the time. They stress that these are learning days, but the quicker I learn, the longer I will play.