Key Points
Sunil Gavaskar praises Ashutosh Sharma's confidence and stroke play
Michael Clarke ranks Ashutosh's innings in IPL's top five
Ashutosh's 31-ball 66 secures DC's highest chase
Vipraj Nigam supports Ashutosh in crucial DC victory
One such praise came from none other than India legend Sunil Gavaskar, who applauded Ashutosh's quality of stroke play in his terrific innings.
"Well, we saw him do that last year as well - he played some terrific innings, and his confidence has only grown since. Once you’ve done it before, you enter the next season with even greater self-belief. He’s 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," said Gavaskar on JioHotstar.
"From the very first ball, he was striking it cleanly from the middle of the bat, sending it deep - these weren’t 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.
Chasing a daunting target of 210, DC faced an uphill battle after losing two big wickets of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel in the first over. However, Vipraj Nigam and Ashutosh rose to the occasion, forging a remarkable comeback to secure a memorable victory.Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke also expressed his views on Ashutosh's innings, saying that by the end of the tournament, his knock will be featured in the top five.
"Honestly, Lucknow Super Giants will review everything - the captaincy decisions made by Rishabh Pant, the execution with the ball - whether they went the right way with spin or pace. But sometimes, in this game, you simply have to give credit to the opposition. That innings by Ashutosh was phenomenal. We’re going to witness many unbelievable innings throughout this IPL, but I promise you, by the end of the tournament, this will be in the top five," said Clarke.
Ashutosh walked out at No. 7 as Impact Substitute in DC's chase of 210 when the scoreboard read 65/5 in the seventh over. He delivered a game-changing knock, smashing an unbeaten 66 off 31 balls studded with five sixes and as many fours. There was support, first from Tristan Stubbs (34 in 22) and then from IPL debutant Vipraj, who scored 39 in 15 balls as DC achieved their highest successful run chase in IPL history.
"That was a match-winning effort, single-handedly turning the game around. His team was out of the contest, gone, and he stood up on his own. All he needed was the strike - everyone knew he was either going to hit a six or a four. Honestly, you just have to sit back, applaud, and embrace that innings, no matter which team you support. It was phenomenal," said the Aussie.
