Delhi Capitals’ win against Rajasthan Royals on Friday night wasn’t just about the team’s bigger names coming to the party in both batting and bowling departments. There were some less popular names too who equally, if not more, played an important role in DC returning to winning ways after defeats in their previous three games.
Ashutosh Sharma was one such name. When the finisher came on to bat in the 16th over, DC still needed 49 runs to win as Nitish Rana and KL Rahul had fallen in quick succession.
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At this crucial juncture of the match, Ashutosh put his hand up and scored a crucial 15-ball 25 to finish the game for his team. Tristan Stubbs, at the other end, also played his part to a tee. Ashutosh was happy to finally play an important hand in his team’s win this season. “Whenever the team wins, and you are not out, I feel it is always the best innings. Yes, I really enjoyed this innings,” he said.
“It is my role, and I enjoy being a finisher for my team. The team has trusted me to bat in these situations, and I enjoy playing in these moments. I always feel that as long as I am at the crease, I can win the game for my team.”
Delhi chased down 226 in 19.1 overs with seven wickets in hand. Even though Mitchell Starc and Kyle Jamieson got early wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rajasthan still managed to score a big total. When asked what kind of mindset he carries when he chases a big total, Ashutosh’s answer was pretty simple: be prepared, the match, more often than not, will go down to the wire. “A score of 230 [225 in this case] is always a big score. No matter how you start, in T20 cricket, the game usually goes till the end. You cannot assume that the match will be finished early. So yes, it was a big total, but it going till the end is part of the game,” he said.
RR bring out the best in him!
It was the batting all-rounder’s third game this season. Against SRH and CSK, he contributed 14 and 19, respectively; however, he failed to take his team over the line. At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, he was against his favourite opposition and boy, did he disappoint. “I have played around five to six matches against Rajasthan, and I have scored runs, and my team has been on the winning side. So yes, I enjoy batting against them,” Ashutosh, who was purchased by Delhi after his breakout season with Punjab Kings in 2024, said.
Delhi Capitals now host Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. Last time they played CSK, they came a cropper. Was it time to take revenge? Ashutosh made it very clear that that was not the case. “Every day is a new day. You have to go in with a fresh mindset and a fresh thought. We will focus on one match at a time and not think about anything like revenge,” he said.