Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Delhi Capitals’ batter Ashutosh Sharma following his match-winning performance against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025. The thrilling encounter at Visakhapatnam on March 24 saw DC snatch a nail-biting one-wicket victory, thanks largely to Ashutosh’s sensational knock.
In a high-pressure situation, Ashutosh Sharma showcased his composure and power-hitting, smashing an unbeaten 66 off just 31 deliveries. His innings featured five boundaries and as many sixes, proving crucial in chasing down the target. Despite an impressive 2024 season with Punjab Kings, Ashutosh was released ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, where Delhi Capitals secured him for INR 3.8 crore. Gavaskar, impressed by the young batter’s performance, predicted that this knock would be “remembered for a long time.”
“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. 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,” Sunil Gavaskar remarked on JioHotstar.
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He further added, “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 also addressed Rishabh Pant’s underwhelming performance as captain. Pant had a tough outing, registering a six-ball duck and missing a crucial stumping chance that could have sealed the match for LSG. However, Gavaskar backed the young skipper to learn and improve.
“Rishabh Pant is an intelligent cricketer, and he will have picked up valuable insights regarding his batting and captaincy. I believe we will see an improved performance from him. Additionally, when a captain scores runs or takes wickets, it significantly boosts their confidence in making bowling changes and setting the field. Once he gets some runs under his belt, I expect his captaincy to become even more assured,” Sunil Gavaskar commented.
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With their season off to a thrilling start, Delhi Capitals will be hoping Ashutosh Sharma’s heroics become a regular feature, while Pant will aim to lead his team with confidence and consistency.
