Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals, on Wednesday (April 24), returned to winning ways with a thrilling 4-run win over Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Asked to bat first, DC were reeling at 44 for 3 in the powerplay before half-centuries from Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel rescued the hosts. The duo shared a stand of 113 runs for the fourth wicket. Noor Ahmad broke the score in the 17th by dismissing Axar for 66.
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Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, remained unbeaten on 88 off 43 balls with the help of five fours and eight sixes. He and Tristan Stubbs shared a stunning unbeaten stand of 67 runs in just 18 balls to help DC finish with 224/4 in 20 overs. In response, GT ended their innings with 220/8. Sai Sudharsan and David Miller scored half-centuries but their efforts were not enough for GT to avoid a second defeat against DC in IPL 2024.
Rishabh Pant on Victory:
Speaking after the end of the game, Rishabh Pant began by explaining his decision to give the ball to Rasikh Salam for the 19th over and not Anrich Nortje. The DC captain claimed that he simply preferred the bowler who was playing a better game. In the 17th over, Nortje conceded 24 runs. Rasikh, on the other hand, conceded 18 runs in the 19th over after giving away 26 runs in his first three overs.
“Nortje was going through a difficult time. T20 is a fun game, after 14-15 overs the ball was coming good. So we wanted to trust Rasikh, always trust someone who bowls well in a game. I think he It’s about instincts. As a captain, sometimes I’m glad it worked today,” Rishabh Pant said.
Rishabh Pant spoke more about his and Axar Patel’s game plan as they came together in the middle after DC were reduced to 44 for 3. He ended by expressing his joy at returning to action and having time to spend time on the field.
“Surely at 43/3, we wanted to go ahead and target their main spinners. If we get something, we will take it and keep rotating the attack.
“Every day I’m in the middle I feel better. Every hour on the field matters, I love being on the field. I try to give my 100% and sometimes it takes me some time. I think the first six in “The game gives me confidence in the party. The more time I spend in the middle, the better I feel,” added Pant, who was also named Man of the Match.
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