Suryakumar Yadav’s Instagram post dedicated to Ashutosh Sharma gained significant attention following the exciting match between DC and LSG, which concluded with a victory for DC.
New Delhi: India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was impressed by Ashutosh Sharma’s performance during the IPL 2025 match between Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Monday. Entering the game as an Impact Sub for DC, Ashutosh scored an unbeaten 66 runs off 31 balls, aiding his team in successfully chasing down a target of 210 runs in 19.3 overs, with one wicket remaining. He hit five sixes and concluded the match with a six in the final over.
Surya, who captained MI in their first match of the season while regular captain Hardik Pandya was unavailable, acknowledged Ashutosh’s exceptional finishing abilities. He posted a story on Instagram featuring a photo of Ashutosh Sharma, stating, “Grit, determination, self belief at its best. Absolute carnage from Ashutosh Sharma.”
During the previous season with Punjab Kings, Ashutosh garnered interest due to his impressive finishing abilities. Nevertheless, he finished the season feeling somewhat unfulfilled, as he did not achieve the standards he had set for himself.
In the initial stages of IPL 2025, the 26-year-old cricketer, representing Railways in domestic competitions, expressed his satisfaction with his impressive unbeaten score of 66 runs off 31 balls, which helped revive the Delhi Capitals on Monday evening.
Ashutosh emphasized the impact of IPL newcomer Vipraj Nigam, as the two turned the game around when Delhi Capitals were struggling at 113 for six in pursuit of 210 runs.
The controversial Impact Player rule enabled Ashutosh to deliver the performance of a lifetime.
He shifted his approach significantly after scoring 20 runs from the first 20 balls he encountered. In the final 11 balls, he scored 46 runs, concluding the match with a six over the bowler’s head, with most of his five sixes hit straight down the ground.
“Missed out on finishing the game on a couple of occasions in the previous season. The whole year I focussed and visualised it. Had the belief that if I play till the last over, anything can happen.
“Well played to Vipraj. I asked him to keep hitting. He was very calm under pressure. Want to dedicate this award to my mentor Shikhar (Dhawan) paaji,” said Ashutosh.
