This entire year I focussed and visualised finishing games – Ashutosh

Ashutosh's Finishing Touch Helps DC Seal Win

Ashutosh Sharma's freak innings almost came undone in the final act of the DC-LSG game, but he remained confident and finished the game with a glory hit. With the equation down to six needed off six deliveries, Ashutosh smashed the last two balls of the penultimate over for a six and four respectively.

However, the tension mounted when No.11 Mohit Sharma had to take strike for the first ball of the 20th over. Ashutosh stated that he wasn't fussed by the tension, saying "I was confident. It's part of the game. Whether it's an appeal or not a run. It wasn't part of my batting, so I was confident that if he took a single, I would be able to hit a six."

Ashutosh's hard work paid off as he enjoyed his innings, plotting his way with subtlety before exploding in a sensational fashion during the final act. He credited his success to following the basics and believing in his ability, saying "I just follow the basics and believed in my ability. I was just following the process. I wanted to go deep as much as possible so that I could hit in the slog overs."

Ashutosh's ball-striking skills made him stand out for their effortlessness, and he dedicated his award to his mentor Shikhar (Dhawan) paaji.