Ashutosh hit 66 from just 31 balls to help Delhi chase down 210 in Vizag.
Chasing a massive target of 210, DC found themselves reeling at 7/3 and later 65/5. However, Ashutosh, with crucial support from debutant Vipraj Nigam, turned the game on its head, propelling Delhi over the line with one wicket in hand and three deliveries to spare.
After the game, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Ashutosh Sharma, saying that this innings will be remembered for a long time.
“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,” Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.
“We saw him (Ashutosh) 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. 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.”
With six runs needed in the final over, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant chose Shahbaz Ahmed to bowl. The first delivery saw Mohit Sharma step down the track and miss, with Pant failing to complete the stumping.
Although Pant took a review for LBW, the ball was shown to have missed the stumps. Mohit managed a single, which brought Ashutosh on strike and the latter sealed the deal with a six over Shahbaz's head.
“That was a fabulous finish (from Delhi Capitals)! This is exactly what we’ve come to expect from the IPL, yet we always crave more. These last-over thrillers, these breath-taking finishes,” Gavaskar remarked.