West Indies batting legend Brian Lara acknowledged the wonderful growth of Delhi Capitals' (DC) "asset" Rishabh Pant. The explosive left-hand batsman, says Lara, has been making constant improvement at his game and will be key to how deep his team go in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
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“I think he is a major asset for the Delhi Capitals, but today he has also vastly improved his game," said Lara on Star Sports. "I am talking about his batting and the improvements he made in that department. On what is immediately noticeable is his propensity to try and get everything to the leg-side."
“Also, look at his run scoring chart and that’s quite a proof of that fascination he has with the on-side. I think he has come to the realisation that this is not working and he went away and worked on improving his off-side play," he added.
Pant, whose attacking style of batsmanship has its supporters and naysayers, turned 22 recently and is maturing with time and experience under his belt.
Without compromising on his strength, which is to belt the ball consistently out of the park, Pant has been focusing on maintaining his body shape while playing the big shots in this tournament.
In the five matches played by DC so far, Pant has made scores of 31, 37*, 28, 38, 37. Lara believes Pant has extended his range significantly from the time he started off playing the IPL, making his debut in 2016.
“Look at the changes he made. Now, he has the ability to score runs in all parts of the ground. His scoring charts are looking impressive, and yes, more worry for the bowlers."
“He is now very well balanced and he is looking to score in key areas that he is not accustomed to scoring – over extra cover, over point, in front of point and his balance and his weight is staying there, he is not falling over to the off-side to create shots on the leg side."
"That is a vast improvement that he has made, which obviously going to help his all-round batting. I believe, this young lad has a long-long way to go," Lara signed off.
Considered a rare gem who isn't held back against any kind of bowling, Pant has made 1,907 runs in 59 IPL matches at a strike-rate of 160.25.
