Ashutosh Sharma says unbeaten knocks in wins feel like his best innings
Delhi Capitals batter Ashutosh Sharma said he considers every unbeaten innings in a winning cause as his best. He credited team trust, strong opening partnerships and effective bowling for the victory against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.
Hyderabad: Ashutosh Sharma, who played a crucial knock in the slog overs to ensure Delhi Capitals crossed the line against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Friday night, said that whenever the team won and he was unbeaten, he always felt it would be the best innings.
Speaking to the media after the match, Ashutosh said he enjoyed being a finisher in his 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,” he said.
On his record against Rajasthan Royals, the hard-hitting batter said: “It is nothing like that, but yes, it is part of the game. 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.”
On approach for the next match, Ashutosh said every day would be 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. The focus will be on our process,” he said.
On chasing a big total, Ashutosh said: “A score of 230 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 going till the end is part of the game.”
On the pitch conditions in Jaipur, the Delhi batter said: “It was a really good wicket for batting. The ball was coming on nicely, so it was good to bat on.”
On the importance of opening partnerships, Ashutosh said: “In T20 cricket nowadays, a lot depends on the opening partnership and the powerplay.”
“Our openers played really well and because of that we were in the game throughout and could take it till the end,” he said.
On bowling plans against opposition openers, Ashutosh said: “We wanted to get their opening partnership out early, as they have been doing well in previous matches.
That was our plan and it worked, which was good for us.”
On whether this was a morale-boosting win, Delhi batter said: “Every win is a morale boost for any team.
Whenever you win, the atmosphere in the team is very good. So yes, it was an important win for us and we will look to continue this.”
On T20 becoming batting-dominated, Ashutosh said: “
In most matches now, games are decided by batting.
If the opposition bats better, they usually win. So I feel that cricket has become more batting-oriented.”
On the impact of the bowling unit, the Delhi batter said: “Yes, it made a big difference. They have pace and experience, which we needed, and they bowled really well today. Picking early wickets was very important for the team.”
