Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra hailed Ashutosh Sharma after Delhi Capitals registered a nail-biting one-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants at Visakhapatnam on Monday. Delhi Capitals were reeling at 65-5 while chasing a huge total of 210 runs but Sharma pulled off an almost impossible task.
He got help from Tristan Stubbs and Vipraj Nigam, who scored 34 and 39 runs respectively in quick time. However, Sharma was batting on 20 runs off 20 balls at one stage before he decided to change his gears and took the LSG bowlers to the cleaners.
On the last 11 balls, the 26-year-old from Madhya Pradesh smashed 46 runs to help his team get over the line in a thrilling run-chase.
“Yesterday’s biggest story was Ashutosh Sharma. It’s his second season. People figure you out in the second season. Nobody knows anything in the first season. You come suddenly and play some shots and gather the limelight. However, people come with planning next year. So the second season is always tougher than the first one,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
The former Delhi batter added that Punjab Kings had the option of retaining Ashutosh Sharma before IPL 2025 mega auction as an uncapped player but decided otherwise.
“They were 65/5. He was on 12 or 13 off 17 balls at one stage. Vipraj (Nigam) was hitting from the other end, but he was going slowly because he knew the match wouldn’t be decided there. Punjab might be thinking because they had a choice, whether to retain an Indian uncapped opener or an Indian uncapped finisher. They went with the keeper. I am talking about Prabhsimran Singh,” he added.
On the other hand, the reputed commentator hailed Kuldeep Yadav’s spell. The wrist spinner returned with impressive figures of 2-20 in his quota of four overs and accounted for Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni.
“The second big story in this game for me was Kuldeep Yadav. Who wins a bat vs bat contest? Who won you the match? Of course, Ashutosh was spoken about later, but if you give 20 runs in four overs and bowl 15 dot balls, you can consider it anything above gold dust,” he said.
Chopra praised Yadav for dismissing LSG captain Rishabh Pant for a six-ball duck.
“Everyone was getting thrashed and he did an incredible job. It’s a small ground. He bowled with flight and who did he dismiss – Rishabh Pant. I think he was absolutely phenomenal,” Chopra observed.
Delhi Capitals would next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
