Ashutosh Sharma delivered one of the most unforgettable performances in IPL history, leading Delhi Capitals to a stunning victory over Lucknow Super Giants in Vishakhapatnam. Chasing 210, Delhi Capitals were struggling at 65/5, but Ashutosh Sharma’s explosive knock turned the tables.
Coming to bat at number seven as an impact player, Ashutosh played a memorable knock of 66* off 31 balls, featuring five boundaries and five sixes against the Lucknow Super Giants in Vishakhapatnam. His heroics helped DC to win their IPL 2025 opener against the LSG with just one wicket in hand and three balls to spare on March 24.
Ashutosh Sharma’s heroics led Delhi Capitals to a thrilling win over LSG
As the cricket fraternity goes gaga over his brilliance, Railways head coach Nikhil Doru shared an inspiring story about Ashutosh’s journey. During the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, the Railways selectors doubted his batting ability and initially refused to include him in the squad.
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However, Doru backed him, believing in his game-changing potential. Ashutosh finally got his chance against Gujarat, where he proved everyone wrong by scoring a century on debut. His innings not only saved his team but also established him as a rising star in red-ball cricket.
Railways coach reveals Ashutosh Sharma’s struggles before IPL 2025 heroics
Nikhil Doru was quoted as saying by the Times of India, “The selectors were completely unwilling to pick him in Railways’ squad for the Ranji Trophy. They said, ‘Ashutosh doesn’t know how to bat. He can only hit big shots. I kept pushing for his selection, terming him a necessity considering his ability to emerge as a game-changer.”
The Railways coach added, “Ashutosh wasn’t picked in the squad for the first three or four matches. However, he eventually got selected for the game against Gujarat, being fully aware that he would definitely be dropped in case he failed since the selectors were still strongly against him.”
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Nikhil Doru recalls controversy over the Railways line-up in Ranji Trophy 2024-25
Doru further revealed that the odds were against Ashutosh during the Ranji match at Valsad, where Gujarat had an edge on the bowler-friendly conditions. The coach also recalled the controversy around the Railways lineup for the Gujarat match, as two different team sheets had been presented during the toss, with one having Ashutosh’s name while the other didn’t.
Resulting in the coach having to send Karn Sharma out to bat before the 26-year-old batter when Railways were 135/5 during the first innings due to the confusion, as they had to obtain permission from the BCCI regarding Ashutosh Sharma featuring in the match.’
Our batting has just started: Railway coach on Ashutosh Sharma’s career-defining knock
Doru revealed that they got the permission in 15-20 minutes, but he was scared as Ashutosh wouldn’t have been able to do much because they were eight wickets down against Gujarat, but he stunned one and all with his match-winning knock in Valsad.
He signed off by saying, “Before Ashutosh walked out to bat, I told Gujarat spinner Ravi Bishnoi that our batting has just started. He laughed and said, ‘What are you saying?’. Despite having only bowlers for company, Ashutosh managed to help us score 313, smashing 123 off 84 balls in a knock comprising 12 fours and eight sixes. It boosted our morale massively as we had fully expected to get bowled out for 200. We eventually won that match by 184 runs.”
