New Delhi, 06 August (H.S.): After leading North Delhi Strikers to a thrilling six-wicket victory over East Delhi Riders in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2026, captain Sarthak Ranjan opened up about his match-winning innings and the inspiration behind his unique celebration. The young batter revealed that he is a huge fan of tennis legend Novak Djokovic and that his celebration was inspired by the Serbian star.

Speaking after the match, Sarthak said he was delighted with the victory, especially because it was his first win as captain. He explained that the team had lost two early wickets and their focus was on building a partnership while ensuring they did not fall too far behind during the powerplay.

Winning feels really special, especially because this is my first victory as captain. We lost two early wickets, so our plan was to build a partnership and not fall too far behind in the powerplay. Once Yash Bhatia came in, batting became easier. We had a good partnership in the previous match as well, and today he reduced a lot of pressure on me by hitting boundaries consistently. Our focus was only on taking the innings forward. We knew that one big over would come. I did not expect it to be that huge, but fortunately, it went in our favour, Sarthak said.

Talking about his celebration after completing his half-century, Sarthak revealed his admiration for Novak Djokovic.

I am a huge fan of Novak Djokovic. My celebration was a tribute to him. I have seen him celebrate many victories in the same way, and I wanted to do something similar after my performance, he said.

Earlier, East Delhi Riders posted a competitive total of 171 for six in their allotted 20 overs, powered by an unbeaten 82-run knock from Sujal Singh. The batter scored his runs off 50 deliveries, including six fours and four sixes. For North Delhi Strikers, Vikas Dixit was the most effective bowler, taking one wicket while conceding just 19 runs in his four overs.

Chasing 172, North Delhi Strikers suffered an early setback, losing two wickets for 39 runs. However, Sarthak Ranjan and Yash Bhatia turned the game around with a match-winning 113-run partnership for the third wicket.

Sarthak played a brilliant captain's innings, scoring 95 runs off 50 balls, including seven fours and eight sixes. He changed the momentum of the match completely by smashing 29 runs in an over bowled by Simarjeet Singh. Despite his explosive performance, he narrowly missed out on a century, falling five runs short.

At the other end, Yash Bhatia remained unbeaten on a well-made half-century and guided North Delhi Strikers to a commanding six-wicket victory with four overs to spare.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar