Michael Clarke hails Ashutosh Sharma’s match-winning effort after Vizag heroics

Rising star batter Ashutosh Sharma played some fine knocks in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Punjab Kings. He further enhanced his reputation in his first match for his new franchise—Delhi Capitals (DC)—on Monday, March 24, against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

Walking in to bat at No. 7 when Delhi were struggling at 65/5 in 6.4 overs, Ashutosh took his time initially, as the 210-run target seemed unreachable. Axar Patel (22), Tristan Stubbs (34), and Vipraj Nigam (39) made important contributions to the Capitals' score. Ashutosh scored just 20 runs off his first 20 balls. However, in the death overs, he took the responsibility upon himself to take his team home, even as the Capitals lost wickets at the other end.

Ashutosh slammed 46 runs off his last 11 balls as the Capitals reached the target with one wicket and three balls to spare. After finishing unbeaten on 66 off 31 deliveries, Ashutosh has been receiving massive adulation from the cricket fraternity.

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has been in awe of the right-handed batter's brilliance. He said that the knock from Ashutosh will be among the top five at the end of the season.

"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," Clarke said while analysing the knock on JioStar.

"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. 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," he added.

I think we have a great mix of senior players: Mitchell Starc

Meanwhile, Axar Patel, who led the Delhi Capitals for the first time on Monday, received high praise from teammate Mitchell Starc. The Australian seamer spoke about Axar's calmness under pressure and how it would influence the players.

"He's been pretty calm. This is the first time I've shared a dressing room with him. Having seen him from the other side of the field, it's impressive how he has developed into such a dominant all-rounder in international cricket today. Even the intent he showed with the bat tonight played a crucial role in getting us on our way. He’s been fantastic," Starc said.

Starc also mentioned that Faf du Plessis would be able to help Axar on the field due to his past experience of leading both the national team and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.

"Of course, we also have Faf Du Plessis, who has captained extensively in both international and franchise cricket. I think we have a great mix of senior players—experienced leaders like Faf and Tristan Stubbs, who has been with this team for a while. There’s a wealth of knowledge within the group. And with Axar, his cool, calm, and collected approach to the game is evident. Hopefully, that rubs off on the rest of the team. Chases like tonight—where we dig deep and get over the line—will only strengthen us moving forward." the left-arm seamer added.