Delhi Capitals’ (DC) IPL 2024 opener against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on Saturday (March 23) marked Rishabh Pant’s comeback to competitive action after a 15-month hiatus due to a horrific car crash.
On his return, Pant scored 18 runs off 13 balls with two boundaries. While the DC skipper failed to set the stage on fire, he expressed satisfaction with how his first competitive game unfolded. The wicketkeeper also affected a stumping and took a catch.
After the game, however, Rishabh Pant admitted that he felt nervous when he stepped up to bat.
"Personally I was pretty nervous (while batting) but you have to go through this when you enter the field. This isn't the first time being nervous, but happy about that (return overall)," Pant said at the post-match presentation about his return.
Pant's comeback match didn't produce the desirable result as the team suffered a four-wicket defeat. Moreover, senior pacer Ishant Sharma twisted his ankle that left the team with one less bowler during the final stages of the match.
"Ishant's injury was clearly evident because we were anyway one player short because we lagged with the batting a bit. I think we had a par score but because we were one bowler short, because of an injury, can't do much about it," the skipper added.
With only Ishant's two overs available, Pant found himself relying on Mitchell Marsh, whose bowling prowess may have waned, and Sumit Kumar, who was making his IPL debut and appeared overwhelmed by the occasion.
"Wicket played as we expected to play, can't make excuses. We will learn from it but having one bowler short is never good. We were short in terms of extra bowler. We actually pulled it back in the end (but couldn't complete the job). It is part and parcel of the game," Pant said.
He appreciated the effort of Abhishek Porel, who scored 32 not out off 10 balls to take his team to a fighting total of 174/9 in 20 overs.
"Abhishek came in and chipped in with a few runs which were crucial. It was an amazing innings, congrats to him. I think it's just his third or fourth game but the kind of impact he made was huge. Really looking forward to seeing him this season," Pant said.
Delhi Capitals’ second match is scheduled against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on March 28.
(With PTI Inputs)
