IPL 2025: Pressure was felt, but fundamentals are key, LSG captain Pant remarks after DC's nail-biting victory
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Synopsis
In a thrilling IPL 2025 encounter, Delhi Capitals triumphed over Lucknow Super Giants by one wicket. Captain Rishabh Pant recognized the pressure his team faced but praised the remarkable performance of Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam for their pivotal contributions that led to DC's victory.
Key Takeaways
- Delhi Capitals secured a narrow win against Lucknow Super Giants.
- Ashutosh Sharma scored a brilliant 66 off 31 balls.
- Rishabh Pant acknowledged the team's pressure during the match.
- Fundamentals and partnerships are crucial in tight matches.
- LSG posted a challenging score of 209 runs.
Visakhapatnam, March 25 (NationPress) Following Ashutosh Sharma's remarkable unbeaten knock of 31 balls for 66 runs, which propelled Delhi Capitals to a thrilling one-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants in the fourth match at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, captain Rishabh Pant acknowledged that his team, LSG, experienced pressure as they lost grip on the game. He commended Ashutosh and Vipraj Nigam for their pivotal partnership that shifted the momentum in their favor.
In pursuit of 210 runs, DC faced a dismal start, losing three wickets for a mere eight runs. The situation escalated when Faf du Plessis and Axar Patel, who had stabilized the innings, were dismissed, leaving DC stranded at 85 for 5. The required run rate soared, and the match appeared to be slipping away.
"I believe the runs on the board were sufficient. The batters performed exceptionally well. Although we may have lost momentum in the middle overs, I think we set a commendable target on this pitch. As a team, we aim to extract positives from every match and learn from our experiences. The more we master the fundamentals, the more we will improve. We need to execute the basics more consistently," Pant commented after the match.
It was at this point that Ashutosh Sharma seized command. He was on 20 runs off 20 balls with the required rate exceeding 12, but he accelerated at the opportune moment, hammering 46 runs off his next 11 balls. Vipraj Nigam significantly contributed as well, scoring 39 runs off just 15 balls before being dismissed by Digvesh Rathi. Ashutosh maintained the onslaught, taking the game deep and finishing it off in style with a six off Shahbaz Ahmed in the final over, securing the win for DC with three balls remaining.
"I think they formed two solid partnerships, notably between Stubbsy, Ashutosh, and... one more player [Nigam]. As the ball aged, there was assistance for the bowlers, but we could have executed the basics better. We felt the pressure. It's early in the tournament, and we are finding our footing. Luck plays a significant role; if it hadn’t hit his pad, it would have been a major stumping chance," Pant added.
Earlier, LSG had set a formidable target of 209 for 8, driven by explosive innings from Nicholas Pooran (75 off 30) and Mitchell Marsh (72 off 36). At one point, LSG seemed poised for 250, but DC’s bowlers curtailed the scoring, allowing only 49 runs in the final seven overs while claiming seven wickets.
