Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant while talking about the loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an IPL 2021 encounter said that he gave the final over of the innings to Marcus Stoinis because spinners were not getting any purchase from the wicket.
Opting to bowl against RCB in match 22 of IPL 2021, DC had a great start with the ball, as they dismissed 3 key players of Virat Kohli-led side inside 9 overs.
Coming to bat at no.5, AB de Villiers yet again rescued RCB and scored an exceptional 42-ball 75* runs. He hammered Marcus Stoinis for 23 runs in the last over and hoisted his team to a competitive total of 171 runs.
Chasing the target, DC was in a spot of bother as RCB bowlers bowled tight lines and removed their top-three for 47 runs. Skipper Rishabh Pant, who came to bat at No.4, then anchored the innings and stitched 45 runs partnership with Marcus Stoinis.
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Coming in at No.5 Shimron Hetymer joined hands with skipper Pant and gave DC fans some hope. With 46 runs needed off the last three overs, the game seemed to be in RCB’s bag but Caribbean batsman smashed Kylie Jameson for three sixes to bring DC right back into the game.
Both Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer scored unbeaten fifties but failed to cross the finishing line in the end as they fell short just by 1 run at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Talking about the loss at the post-match presentation, DC skipper Rishabh Pant expressed his disappointment and lauded Hetmyer for his innings that almost won the match for them.
"Obviously feeling disappointed, especially when you are on the losing side. They got 10-15 runs extra on this wicket. Hetmyer played a brilliant inning, because of him we got close to the target. In the last over, we were thinking whoever gets the ball has to finish the job for the team. That's what we were planning. In the end, we were one run short," Rishabh Pant said during the post-match presentation.
Pant further revealed the reason why he gave Marcus Stoinis the last over of the innings. He added that as a young team they will learn from every game and will look to improve every day.
"We counted the overs really well. In the end, spinners weren't getting the help. In the end, I had to give the ball to Stoinis. It's good to take positives from all the matches. As a young team, we like to learn from each and every game and improve each and every day," he said.
DC is placed second in the point table. The Rishabh Pant-led side will next face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 29th April at Ahmedabad.
(ANI inputs)
