Ashutosh Sharma's story of redemption came full circle on Monday night. After struggling to finish games in IPL 2024, the explosive batter showed immense composure to lead Delhi Capitals to a thrilling one-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
I learned from last year because there were a few matches in which I couldn't finish the game. So, I have been focusing on finishing games, even in domestic cricket. I have a lot of belief in myself that if I play till the last over and the last ball, anything can happen. You just have to stay calm and believe.
The Capitals had a shaky start, losing three wickets for just seven runs. Faf du Plessis (29) and Axar Patel (22) steadied the innings momentarily, but Delhi soon found themselves in deep trouble at 65/5. However, a late resurgence led by Tristan Stubbs (34), Vipraj Nigam (39 off 15), and Ashutosh saw them over the line with three balls to spare, finishing at 211/9.
Ashutosh credited his teammates for their fearless approach.
Firstly I want to say Vipraj played very well. It was a good innings. I told him that if he is being able to connect, he should keep hitting. I just stayed calm and didn't put too much pressure on myself. I want to dedicate this man-of-the-match award to my mentor Shikhar paaji.
Axar Patel's Bold Leadership
Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel, leading the side for the first time, exuded confidence despite the early setbacks.
Make it a habit that this is how it's going to be under my captaincy.
My decision-making is also a bit up and down like this, so anything can happen. Sometimes there will be anger also from fans. Right now we won, so no one will say anything. In the IPL, we have seen a lot. Losing four wickets in the powerplay and winning the game – not seen it happen a lot, but now cricket is changing so you just stay at the crease and apply yourself.
Pant Reflects on LSG's Missed Chances
For Rishabh Pant, who captained LSG in his first match since moving from Delhi Capitals, the loss was disappointing.
I think the runs were enough on the board. The batters batted really well," Pant said. "We may have lost the momentum in the middle but I think that was a pretty good score on this wicket. Definitely, as a team, we are looking to take positives from every match and learn from it. The more we get our basics right, the better we will get.
Pant also acknowledged the decisive partnerships that turned the game in Delhi’s favour.
"I think they had two good partnerships between Stubbsy, Ashutosh, and Nigam. As the ball got older, there was help for the bowlers but we could have done the basics better. Luck plays a big part – if it hadn't hit his pad, there would have been a big chance for stumping in the last over."
Delhi Capitals' victory will undoubtedly boost their confidence as they aim to build momentum in the tournament. With Ashutosh Sharma proving his mettle as a dependable finisher, the team looks poised for more thrilling encounters ahead.
Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants: 209/8 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 75, Mitchell Marsh 72; Mitchell Starc 3-42, Kuldeep Yadav 2-20); Delhi Capitals: 211/9 in 19.3 overs (Ashutosh Sharma 66 not out, Vipraj Nigam 39; Digvesh Rathi 2-31, Shardul Thakur 2-19)
