New Delhi [India], April 5 : Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson bestowed praise upon Lucknow Super Giants' uncapped leg-break spinner Digvesh Rathi, who grabbed the headlines for his sizzling spell against Mumbai Indians in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Rathi, with a touch of unconventional bowling style, consistent threatening deliveries, and a controversial celebration, has found himself in the spotlight. He contained Mumbai's prolific batters, scythed the crucial scalp of Naman Dhir and returned with figures of 1/21, the most economical among both sides.
With another influential spell in the cash-rich league, Watson was impressed with Rathi's control, which makes him "dangerous" even when he is up against the most formidable sides.
"It seemed like he was born to perform on this IPL stage. He wasn't reserved; he was out there, beating his chest, showing confidence, and executing beautifully. What stands out about Digvesh is how simple he keeps his game. He runs in, uses his variations--the carrom ball and off-spinner--but his control over length is what makes him so dangerous. When a bowler gets the length right, it's tough for batters to step out or go on the back foot," Watson said on JioHotstar.
While restraining Mumbai batters, Rathi reaped the rewards for his consistency in the ninth over of the second inning. On the first delivery, Rathi picked up a slight inside edge, which was enough to send the ball crashing into the stumps, ending Naman's belligerent knock on 46(24).
Naman's wicket changed the entire complexion of the game. Mumbai, who were authoritative in their approach, had to take a backseat and renew their blueprint of chasing down the daunting 204-run target.
"To think that in a high-scoring game, where nearly 200 runs were posted, he conceded just 21 runs in his four overs--that's something very, very special. It's the kind of impact we usually see from Sunil Narine. That's why he was the Man of the Match--performances like this don't happen often. But that's the beauty of the IPL. Every season, new talents like Digvesh burst onto the scene and showcase their incredible skills," he added.
Moments after dismissing Naman, Rathi pulled off his notebook celebration, which resembled the one for which he was fined 25 percent of his match fee against Punjab Kings. In addition to the sanction, the IPL also handed him one demerit point.
Apart from Rathi's magic, LSG needed Shardul Thakur's experience in the penultimate over to put the final nail in the coffin. With 29 needed in 12 deliveries, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant turned to Thakur and entrusted his faith in him to swing the momentum to their side.
Shardul, with all his experience, kept MI skipper Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma silent. He kept things tight by targeting the yorker length and ended the over with just seven runs from it. In the end, 22 runs proved too much for MI as they surrendered to a slender 12-run defeat.
"Shardul executed brilliantly. He knew he had to commit to his yorker. Typically, bowlers rely on changes of pace early on, but that just wasn't working tonight. So, he focused on nailing his yorkers, especially against an in-form Hardik Pandya. Bowling a seven-run over at such a crucial stage, with Hardik at the crease, was special," Watson said.
"That's a big confidence booster for him. Given that Shardul went unsold in the auction and then got picked up as a free agent, you can see how determined he is to prove himself. He's now delivered two strong performances, and this one played a major role in LSG getting over the line," he added.