DC lost to MI by 5 wickets and crashed out of IPL 15 playoffs, paving way for RCB to go through.
Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma on Saturday (21st May) came out in support of Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Rishabh Pant after the latter had a horrendous day on the field as the leader.
It was a day to forget for DC skipper Pant as not only his team was eliminated from the tournament but he also made some horrendous calls on the field that cost them the match.
Pant first had a decent outing with the bat as scored a crucial 39 runs for his side to help them post a fighting total of 159 runs on the board after a poor start, which saw them tumbling at 50/4.
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Defending the target, Pant was spot on with his bowling changes as well but he came under scrutiny after he dropped a sitter in the 12th over to give Dewald Brevis (37) a reprieve. If this was not enough he then didn’t review caught behind against Tim David.
Pant’s decision to not review was arguably the main reason behind DC’s loss as David blasted 34 runs in just 11 balls to take the game away from the opposition and help MI end the season on a high.
Following his decision to not review David’s caught behind, Pant faced a lot of criticism. Many fans and pundits lashed out at him for costing DC a place in the playoffs.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Rohit Sharma backed DC skipper Rishabh Pant. Calling him a ‘quality captain’ he said that sometimes things don’t go the way one wants and that is what he told the southpaw.
“He is a quality captain, there's no doubt about it. In the past seasons, we have seen how he has led his team. Sometimes things don't go your way, it is as simple as that. I have been through these kind of situations before and I was just telling him about the same thing. These kind of things happen on the ground, sometimes it just doesn't go your way. So, there is nothing wrong in it," Rohit Sharma said.
Rohit said that Pant can take a lot of learnings from this as he’s got a great mind and he read the things well. He suggested that it’s important for keeper-batter to not lose confidence and come back strong next season.
“You can take a lot of learnings from all of this and try and keep things simple. He's got a great mind, he reads the game well from behind. It's a high pressure tournament and those little fumbles can happen. But it is important not to lose confidence and not to start doubting yourself. That is something I spoke to him about. He's a confident guy, he'll come back strong next season,” he said.
With MI’s win over DC, RCB became the fourth team to qualify for the playoffs along with Gujarat Titans (GT), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Qualifier 1 will be played in Kolkata on 24th May between GT and RR.
(NDTV Sports inputs)