On Wednesday, April 17, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Delhi Capitals (DC) dominated Gujarat Titans (GT), bowling them out for 89 runs and then easily chasing down the target with six wickets and 11.1 overs remaining.
Rishabh Pant showcased exceptional captaincy and wicketkeeping skills in the first innings and contributed an unbeaten 16 runs off 11 balls in the second innings, earning praise from both fans and critics.
Opting to field after winning the toss, Pant’s decision proved fruitful as Ishant Sharma and Mukesh Kumar took early wickets, leaving the Titans struggling at four wickets down within the first five overs. Pant’s strategic bowling changes and field placements effectively restricted the Titans’ batting lineup.
The 26-year-old was exceptional behind the stumps, showcasing his skills with a remarkable catch to dismiss David Miller off Ishant’s delivery. He continued to impress with his wicketkeeping, executing crucial stumpings of Abhinav Manohar and Shahrukh Khan off Tristan Stubbs’ bowling in the ninth over.
Pant maintained the intensity of his team throughout the match, ensuring that Delhi Capitals kept the pressure on the Shubman Gill-led side, resulting in the Titans registering their lowest team total of the season.
Following the game, Delhi’s bowling coach, James Hopes, commended Pant, stating that his absence last season left a significant gap. The ex-Australian all-rounder observed that the left-hander is progressing in all facets of his performance.
“Pant’s keeping, it’s pretty good. Ain’t it? Last year, we tried really hard to cover that gap. But it’s very hard to cover a world-class keeper, if not the best wicketkeeper-batter in the world.”
“Now that he is back, you can just see everything about his game, his keeping is improving, his captaincy is becoming very sharp, his batting has been pretty good from the start of the tournament,” Hopes was quoted as saying by India Today.
“He is rounding into some pretty good form for the back half of the tournament. And he is leading pretty well at the moment,” he added.
Pant’s exceptional performance earned him the Player of the Match accolade. Absent from the previous year’s IPL due to a near-fatal car accident in December 2022, he has made a remarkable comeback in IPL 2024, showcasing impressive batting displays for the Capitals and demonstrating strong leadership skills for the team.
Delhi Capitals to return to Arun Jaitley Stadium
The Capitals have played seven matches, winning three and losing four. They’ve had only two home games, both in Visakhapatnam.
But they’re now returning to their home ground, Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, for the rest of their home matches, beginning with the Sunrisers Hyderabad game on Saturday, April 20th.
The Capitals are scheduled to play three consecutive home games. Hopes anticipates gaining vital points in these upcoming matches, as Pant and his team strive to remain in contention for a playoff spot.
“We are halfway through now. We spoke, leading into the game, that a win tonight, will put us onto the table. And we also got a good week-and-half for us, with three home games in Delhi.”
”We are running into the freight train, the next game which is SRH. We are already preparing for that. If we have a good week-and-a-half, then we are going to be right around that top 4,” Hopes said.
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