Ashutosh's heroics, KP's faith — the fighter's tale

DELHI CAPITALS' LAST man Mohit Sharma had a simple question for Ashutosh Sharma when the two met at the start of the final over with their team needing 6 runs: "I give you one ball, can you hit it for a six?"

- DEVENDRA DANDEY

Ashutosh, 26, would give a firm nod and deliver a confident 'Yes'.

After blocking one ball, Mohit would tap and run a single. Ashutosh now had 4 balls, but he needed one. He smashed the ball over Lucknow Super Giants off-spinner Shahbaz Ahmed's head and over the boundary rope. DC had won the match they had almost lost.

Also, they finally had a lower-order batsman with the confidence and swagger of a finisher. It was something they had lacked and it was to fill this void that they had paid ₹3.8 crore to get Ashutosh. There was another new signing in the dugout, who too had a role to play in DC snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Ashutosh acknowledged the impact that Kevin Pietersen, former England and DC captain, now mentor of the Delhi-based franchise, had on him within minutes of hitting the winning runs. He mimicked KP's famous 'switch hit' and pointed his bat towards the mentor who was getting hugged by other DC team members around him.