‘Jai Shree Ram…’: A note, a prayer and Raghu Sharma’s 15-year wait

New Delhi: It’s a night of fight for survival mumbai indians IPL 2026 against Lucknow Supergiants at Wankhede Stadium. With a classic Rohit Sharma performance, followed by Ryan Rickelton, MI’s standout batsman this season, MI defeated LSG and kept their chances of the IPL playoffs alive, even with their lives hanging on by a thread.But the highlight of the night wasn’t necessarily Rohit’s return from injury, or even Nicholas Pooran’s performance after a half-century in the doldrums.It turned out to be Raghu Sharmaemotional gesture. A simple return capture. The first IPL wicket. And then – a piece of paper.Sharma, playing only his second IPL match, dismissed LSG debutant Akshat Raghuwanshi for 11 runs. But, like many wicket celebrations, this one was not one of instinctive aggression. Instead, it’s thoughtful and deeply personal.After the wicket, Sharma held up a note recalling Dinesh Ramdin’s ‘Talk na Viv’ message and, closer to home, Abhishek Sharma’s similar IPL hundred celebrations last season. The camera zooms in and even stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav is trying to read the note, almost in confusion.The moment was instantly explosive. But nothing on this note is immediate. It encapsulates Sharma’s journey of 15 years so far.The note read: “Radhe Radhe. By the divine mercy of Gurudeva, 15 very painful years come to an end today. Thanks to Mumbai Indians (Blue and Gold) for giving me this opportunity. Eternally grateful. Jai Shri Ram.”15 years of hard work behind one wicketSharma was drafted into MI last season as an injury replacement for youngster Vignesh Puthur and has stayed on this season. After being on the bench for the first few games, MI gave Sharma his debut against the Chennai Super Kings a few days ago and he took a record of 0/24.Looking back at Sharma’s path to his IPL moment, it was far from conventional. He didn’t grow up in an elite system. In fact, he only started playing cricket seriously after he turned 18.Raghu started out as a fast bowler but had to reinvent himself, turning to leg-spin after a hamstring injury – which is largely self-taught.“I started leg-spin by watching videos of him… I would watch it over and over again and try it in the nets,” Raghu recalled in an interview with ESPNcricinfo before the start of the season, calling Shane Warne his virtual mentor.But for someone who started playing cricket seriously so late, it was always difficult to break through.“At 25, I was told I was too old,” Raghu said in the same interview with ESPNCricinfo. His career then spanned different geographies and he took advantage of second chances. He was dropped after a good start in the domestic circuit of Punjab and even his move to Puducherry did not bring consistent chances. He also played a full season of first-grade cricket in Sri Lanka before moving on to English club cricket alongside the likes of Imran Tahir. The veteran helped Sharma reshape his bowling, adding variety and control.After failing the fitness test and withdrawing from the selection competition, Raghu hit an emotional low. He took a break to reset mentally and recover physically. A strong performance domestically saw him work his way back into the system. Mumbai Indians, a team where he had failed in trials, now gave him another chance.“I waited eight years but I’m back with the same team… this time I’m coming as a transformed person,” he told ESPNcricinfo.Throughout his journey, Raghu found solace in his faith. “I feel like God sees everything. If you do your job with discipline, you will definitely be rewarded… Even my failures, I enjoyed it,” he told ESPNcricinfo in an interview.This explains why his notes begin with “Radhe Radhe” and end with “Jai Shri Ram”.On paper, Sharma’s numbers are: 1 for 36 in four overs. Respectable at best.But to put it in context, the 15-year wait is finally over.Despite all the emotions surrounding his first IPL wicket, Raghu Sharma’s career numbers show steady improvement. In first-class cricket, he took 57 wickets in 12 games at an average of 22.03 and an economy of 3.27, which included 5 5-wicket performances and 3 10-wicket performances. In Group A cricket, he took 18 wickets in 12 games at an average of 27.50 and an economy rate of 5.22. In T20s, he took 5 wickets in 6 games with an average of 34.40 and an economy rate of 7.81.