Ashutosh Sharma's crazy knock has Faf du Plessis pledging 'more masala tea'; backs BCCI's IPL stance amid naysayers
Faf du Plessis, citing the example of Ashutosh Sharma's knock, backed the Impact Player rule
Delhi Capitals' vice captain Faf du Plessis was completely blown away by teammate Ashutosh Sharma's crazy knock in the IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday in Vizag. Ashutosh, who played as an Impact Player on his debut for Delhi, smashed an unbeaten 66 off 31 to help Delhi pull off a one-wicket heist. At the sight of the knock, an impressed Du Plessis was only left pledging that he would now start having "more masala tea" to match Ashutosh's ball-striking ability.
"I'm definitely going to drink some more masala tea to make sure I can hit the ball like the boys do at the end," Du Plessis joked at the post-game briefing. “As an overseas player, one thing that's remarkable for me to watch is the amount of Indian players that are so powerful and they have the ability to just strike the ball so easily. It wasn't an easy pitch. There was a lot going on, but the two boys at the back end there, just the way they came in and (were) just effortlessly hitting boundaries.”
LSG had found themselves in a precarious spot of 65 for five in the seventh over following the dismissal of Du Plessis for 29 off 18. Tristan Stubbs tried to offer some resistance but managed just 34 off 22. Ashutosh then stepped up, smashing five boundaries and as many sixes to wrap up the chase of 210 with three balls to spare.
Faf du Plessis backs Impact Player rule
The Impact Player rule has faced much criticism since its introduction a few years back, with even India captain Rohit Sharma joining the bandwagon. This even led to BCCI putting it on their agenda during the recent captain's meeting before the start of IPL 2025, where it was decided that the rule would stay until 2027, when it would be re-evaluated again. But Du Plessis, citing the example of Ashutosh, backed the rule.
"A lot of the cricketers, if you ask them, they would complain about the [Impact Player] rule in the IPL but this is obviously why that rule is there – for games when you think that you're completely dead and buried, someone comes in and plays like that," Du Plessis said.
"To be honest, when I looked at the wicket and saw how much the ball was gripping and losing five wickets, I thought it would be an almost impossible task. But it's even great for the old brain of mine just to make sure that you can never be out of a game completely. The extra batter really makes a big difference."
