Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 25 (ANI): Following Delhi Capitals’ (DC) thrilling win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Indian cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar hailed batter Ashutosh Sharma’s knock, saying that he came in full of confidence and produced a solid knock under pressure that will be “remembered for a long time”.
Ashutosh continued from where he left off the previous season with Punjab Kings (PBKS), producing an impeccable and calm finish to help DC escape from the jaws of defeat during a once-dead run-chase of 210 runs and clinch a one-wicket win against LSG at Vizag on Tuesday.
After the match, speaking exclusively on ‘Match Center Live’ at JioHotstar, Gavaskar recalled that when Mohit Sharma was given a ‘not-out’ following a DRS review on the first ball of the final over, the crowd knew DC had a chance.
“Then came the smart play from Mohit Sharma, an experienced campaigner. He just tapped the ball around, knowing he would not be able to clear the ropes, but the other man–Ashutosh Sharma could. And that was a fabulous finish! This is exactly what we have come to expect from the IPL, yet we always crave more,” he added.
Gavaskar hailed Ashutosh’s knock as an example of BOLD IPL finishes: ” Breath-taking, Outstanding, Lightning, and Devastating.”
Gavaskar said that during his last season with PBKS, during which he made 189 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of over 167 with a fifty, Ashutosh’s confidence has grown a lot.
“He played some terrific innings (for PBKS), and his confidence has only grown since. Once you’ve done it before, you enter the next season with even greater self-belief. He is also played another season of domestic cricket, where he has been smashing the ball around and scoring plenty of runs, so he came in full of confidence. From the very first ball, he was striking it cleanly from the middle of the bat, sending it deep–these were not just occasional sixes clearing the boundary, they were landing in the stands, again and again. This innings will be remembered for a long, long time–not just because of the quality of stroke play, but because of the high-pressure situation,” he added.
Coming to the match, DC won the toss and opted to bowl first. While DC got Aiden Markram for cheap (15 in 13 balls), Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran made sure DC regretted their decision to put LSG to bat, bullying their bowlers with towering sixes and elegant boundaries. Both had an 87-run stand for the second wicket, with Marsh gone for 72 in 36 balls, with six fours and six sixes.
Pooran stuck around for a bit, before he was undone by Mitchell Starc (3/42). By that time, he had done enough damage by scoring 75 in just 30 balls, with six fours and seven sixes. DC bowlers made a comeback in the back-end of the innings, reducing LSG to 209/8 in their 20 overs, getting skipper Rishabh Pant (0),
Pooran, Ayush Badoni (4) and Shardul Thakur (0) quickly. Miller was left unbeaten at 27* in 19 balls, with a four and two sixes.
Kuldeep Yadav (2/20) also got crucial wickets for DC, while Vipraj and Mukesh Kumar got one each.
During the run-chase, DC lost half their side for 65, despite Faf (29 in 18 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and skipper Axar Patel (22 in 11 balls, with three fours and a six) attempting a rebuild after DC was reduced to 7/3.
Ashutosh then had a 48-run stand with Tristan Stubbs (34 in 22 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Vipraj (39 in 15 balls, with five fours and two sixes). After that, the batter pulled off the chase almost single-handedly with a wicket and three balls left.
Shardul, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi got two wickets each.
Ashutosh was given the ‘Player of the Match’ award. (ANI)
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