Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals returned to winning ways with a thrilling 4-run win over Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday (April 24).
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 113-run stand for the fourth wicket. Noor Ahmad broke the score in the 17th over 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, helping DC finish on 224/4 in 20 overs. In reply, GT ended his innings on 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 the win:
After the end of the match, Rishabh Pant first explained his decision to give the ball to Rasikh Salam and not Anrich Nortje for the 19th over. The DC skipper stated that he simply prefers the bowler who has 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 had a difficult time. T20 is a fun game, after 14-15 overs the ball arrived well. That’s why we wanted to trust Rasikh, always trust someone who bowls well in a game. I think it comes down to instincts.” As a captain, sometimes things will work out. I’m glad it worked today. said Rishabh Pant.
Rishabh Pant further spoke about his and Axar Patel’s game plan as they shook hands in the middle after DC were reduced to 44 for 3. In the end, he expressed his joy at being back in action and having the time to spend time on the field.
“Certainly at 43/3 we just wanted to go ahead and target their key spinners. If we get something, we’ll take it and keep rotating the attack.”
“Every day I’m in the middle I feel better. Every hour on the field counts, I love being on the field. I try to give 100% and sometimes that takes some time. I think the top six are in.” “The game gives me confidence in a game. The more time I spend at the center, the better I feel.” added Pant, who was also named player of the match.
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