Rishabh Pant showed nerves of steel to take LSG over the line.
Rishabh Pant produced a captain's knock on Sunday (April 5), guiding Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to a thrilling five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Chasing a target of 157, the southpaw stayed unbeaten on 68 off 50 balls, hitting 9 fours, and anchored the chase to win with one ball to spare.
After scripting LSG’s win, Pant reacted to outside chatter about his batting, saying that he would prefer that his bat does the talking.
“What ends well is all well. We always say that, but at the same time, for me personally, I know I have been preparing really well and giving my 200%. I just let my bat do the talking. I just don't want to talk about that. I think my colleagues and my management knows, how much I'm working hard and that's all matters to me,” Pant said at the post-match presentation.
Opting to bowl first, LSG restricted the hosts to 156 for 9 in 20 overs. Mohammad Shami starred with figures of 2/9 in his 4 overs, supported by Prince Yadav (2/34) and Avesh Khan (2/36), leaving SRH reeling early at 26/4 before Heinrich Klaasen (62 off 41) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (56 off 33) resurrected the innings.
Rishabh Pant acknowledged that the bowling unit set the tone for victory with disciplined efforts upfront.
“I think definitely. I think with bowlers, you've got to appreciate them more than often, because those are the people who set you for the matches, especially when you bowl first. I think Shami bhai, Avesh, Rathi, I think everyone contributed really well, especially Siddharth coming in today. We decided at the ground that he's going to make a play and he did really well for us,” he remarked.
Pant emphasized the need to balance critical evaluation with appreciation within the team, stating that "there is never a perfect match".
“We feel like, only thing is there is never a perfect match. You've got to be critical as a management, but at the same time, you've got to appreciate what's happening inside. I think the only conversation is, looking to, execute the plan rather than feeling that I can do all this. Trust your preparation and just take on the game,” he stated.
Pant stressed that learning remains an ongoing process for the side as it looks to improve with each outing.
“See, there's no complaint because of the target, but at the same time, when you start so well, like I said before, you've got to be critical, but at the same time, we are looking to learn as a team and get better with each and every match,” he said.
Reflecting on the win, Pant said finishing games in pressure situations adds immense value to the team's confidence.
"Definitely, it's a big plus. When you can stay at the last and finish the match, definitely a good plus for us,” he concluded.