These Innings will be remembered: Gavaskar on Ashutosh Sharma’s Heroics

JioStar Expert Michael Clarke expressed his views on Ashutosh Sharma’s innings, saying:* _"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. 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."

Sunil Gavaskar also talked about how Ashutosh Sharma brought Delhi Capitals back into the game, he said: _"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. He’s also played another season of domestic cricket, where he has been smashing the ball around and scoring plenty of runs, so he came in full of confidence. 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. 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."

Mitchell Starc, Delhi Capitals player, shared his thoughts on their new captain - Axar Patel, he said* _"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. 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."

On being asked about Rishabh Pant’s performance and captaincy, Gavaskar said,* _“I think he knows. He actually mentioned in the post-match interview that you often learn more from your mistakes than from your successes. When you bat well, there’s not much to reflect upon, but when you don’t perform with the bat or ball, you understand the areas that need improvement. This is just the first match, and there are 13 more to go. 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.”

This landmark 18th season of TATA IPL promises to be bigger than ever! Catch all the action live, today at 7:30 PM as Gujarat Titans take on Punjab Kings, only on the JioStar Network!