'Will be remembered for a long time' - Sunil Gavaskar lauds Ashutosh Sharma's heroics against LSG

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has lauded Delhi Captials (DC) batter Ashutosh Sharma for his heroics against Lucknow Super Giants(LSG) in his team's thrilling one-wicket win in IPL 2025 at Visakhapatnam on March 24. 

The Capitals clinched their season opener courtesy of Ashutosh as the Axar Patel-led side defeated LSG in a last-over thriller. Ashutosh was the chief contributor, smashing an unbeaten 66 off 31, including five boundaries and as many sixes. 

Despite having an impressive season for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2024, the franchise let him go before the mega auction, where he was acquired by the Capitals for INR 3.8 crore. Gavaskar was lavish in praise for the batter's heroics, stating that the innings will 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," said Gavaskar on JioHotstar.

"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," he added.

Rishabh Pant is an intelligent cricketer: Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar also spoke in favour of Rishabh Pant when asked about his captaincy. Pant failed to impress with both bat and gloves as he scored a six-ball duck and missed a stumping chance in the final over with his team needing one wicket to win. However, Gavaskar said that he is an "intelligent" player and will learn from his mistakes. 

Also Read: Delhi Capitals’ thrilling win: LSG’s mistakes that cost them the match

"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," said Gavaskar.