'A strong mind and big heart': Jayawardene lauds Raghu's journey from net bowler to maiden IPL wicket

Mumbai, May 5 Mumbai Indians (MI) coach Mahela Jayawardene lavished praise on 33-year-old spinner Raghu Sharma after he picked up his maiden wicket in the Indian Premier League (IPL), highlighting the bowler’s journey from being a net bowler last season to making a mark on the big stage.

Raghu’s breakthrough came during the Mumbai Indians’ six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium, where the hosts chased down a daunting 229-run target in 18.4 overs. The victory was powered by a 143-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma (84) and Ryan Rickelton (83), helping MI register their highest-ever successful chase at the venue.

Jayawardene revealed that Raghu’s rise has been built on relentless hard work and determination, recalling how the youngster pushed himself even during a training stint in Sri Lanka.

"You guys remember he was a net bowler last year, worked really hard, got into the squad, never stopped 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 in that hot sun," Jayawardene said in a video released by the Mumbai Indians on X.

In a match dominated by big scores with LSG posting 228/5 after Nicholas Pooran’s explosive 63 off 21 balls, Raghu made his moment count by claiming his maiden IPL wicket of Akshat Raghuvanshi, providing a key breakthrough in the middle overs. Raghu delivered a composed spell against the Super Giants, returning figures of 4-0-36-1.

The former Sri Lanka captain added that Raghu had made a promise to return stronger this season, something he has now begun to deliver on.

“And he promised one thing, he said, ‘I’ll be ready for this year’. So a lot of hard work, well deserved to be here, a strong mind and a big heart, well done,” he added.

After taking his first wicket, Raghu pulled out a chit from his pocket and celebrated by holding it. “A very painful 15 years.

Raghu came in as a replacement for Vignesh Puthur in IPL 2025, but didn't get a chance to play a game in that season. He made his debut on Saturday against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but returned wicketless.

--IANS

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