Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Ashutosh Sharma's stunning 66* in DC vs LSG IPL 2025 clash ft. Basit Ali 

Ashutosh Sharma stunned the cricket fraternity with his sensational knock in Match 4 of IPL 2025 on Monday (March 24). He slammed 66* off 31 to secure a thrilling victory for the Delhi Capitals (DC) over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Visakhapatnam.

Batting first, LSG posted a 209-run total, with Nicholas Pooran top-scoring with a knock of 75 off 30 balls. In response, DC were in a spot of bother at 65/5, but Vipraj Nigam (39 off 15) and Sharma helped the side to start off their campaign with a victory.

Notably, Sharma played some clutch knocks last year for Punjab Kings, but couldn't get retention from the franchise. The Capitals shelled out ₹3.8 crore to secure the services of the 26-year-old, which has paid dividends in the first game itself.

On that note, let's take a look at the top expert reactions to Ashutosh Sharma's terrific knock.

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#1 Sunil Gavaskar

Appearing in the post-match show on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar opined that Ashutosh Sharma's confidence stems from his performance in IPL 2024. As per the former Indian batter, Sharma's knock will be remembered for his clean hitting and keeping composure in pressure situations.

Gavaskar said:

"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," he added.

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#2 Virender Sehwag

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag lauded Ashutosh Sharma for his imperious knock, which included pure cricketing shots. Here's what he said on Cricbuzz Live:

"What a commendable performance by Ashutosh Sharma. He did not play any rash shots, and played pure cricketing shots through down the ground, cover, point and the hook shot as well. It was a treat to watch him bat." (1:46)

Sehwag thinks not many experienced cricketers would have been able to seal the chase, given that the Delhi Capitals were already five down inside the 10 overs. He hailed the intelligence of Sharma and Vipraj Nigam to help the side in sealing the chase, adding:

"Most experienced batters, whether foreigner or Indian would have not been able the seal the chase. Ashutosh and Vipraj, who are not still unknown made it possible, using their intelligence and acumen."

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#3 Michael Vaughan

During his interaction on Cricbuzz Live, former England skipper Michael Vaughan was all praise for Ashutosh Sharma's striking ability and power. He said:

"What an innings we just witnessed. Brilliant composure, great striking ability. He was striking like just the ex-Pakistan players with wide stance, big punch down the ground and lots of power." (0:55)

Vaughan pointed out Sharma's ability to thrive under pressure, with wickets falling at the other end, and helping the side get off to a winning start. He added:

"Brilliant batting under pressure. When you watch it on television, you kind of forget how much pressure the players are under. Big crowd, the first game of the IPL, desperate to get your franchise off to first victory. He's losing the wickets at the other end, chaos with the miss in stumping in the last over, but yeah pure striking, brilliant to watch."

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#4 Basit Ali

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali believes self-confidence is the key to winning close games, which was evident in the partnership between Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam. Here's what he said on his YouTube channel:

"This game showed that you should have a belief in yourself. I was watching KP's interview, where he remained confident of some players, despite them being at 65/5. The players he named won the games for Delhi, Ashutosh and Nigam." (2:40)

While praising Sharma's intelligence, Ali also feels matches like these sets apart the IPL from other franchise leagues.

"Nigam set the base for the side, and then Ashutosh steered the side in intelligent fashion. Despite wickets falling wickets at the other end, he looked confident. Ashutosh certainly showed how to win T20 games single-handedly. This is the beauty of IPL. What a match, self-belief," Ali concluded.

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#5 Aakash Chopra

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra feels Ashutosh Sharma grabbed the limelight in 2024, but will finally get recognized with this terrific knock. On his YouTube channel, Chopra said:

"Yesterday's biggest story was Ashutosh Sharma. It's his second season. People figure you out in the second season. Nobody knows anything in the first season. You come suddenly and play some shots and gather the limelight." (9:30)

Further, the 47-year-old praised Sharma's ability to hit big shots against spinners as well as pacers, which becomes difficult to contain runs against him. He added:

"Ashutosh had that belief in his abilities to take the game deep, which is commendable. One thing you can notice that he can hit sixes down the ground, without stepping down the crease, and against pacers as well as spinners. How would you bowl to such batters."