With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 around the corner, Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant is strengthening his selection claims in India’s squad with stunning all-round performances in the ongoing IPL season.
On Wednesday (April 17), Pant exhibited his prowess with two stumpings, two catches, adept management of his bowlers, and an unbeaten innings, leading DC to a thumping six-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in an away fixture at Ahmedabad.
Notably, Pant made his comeback to competitive cricket in IPL 2024 after recovering from a life-threatening car accident. In seven innings so far, the southpaw has registered scores of 18, 28, 51, 55, 1, 41 and 16*.
Asked about his work behind the stumps and with the bat, Pant said, "The only thought process before coming to the field was that I wanted to come in in a better way.”
"That was the only thought I had when I was doing my rehab. With each and every match, I am loving the process and being on the ground," he further stated at the post-match presentation.
Coming to the match, DC bundled out GT for a paltry 89 in 17.3 overs after opting to bowl first. Mukesh Kumar starred with the ball for the Capitals, claiming three wickets by conceding 14 runs in his 2.3 overs. Ishant Sharma and Tristan Stubbs picked up two scalps each while Akshar Patel and Khaleel Ahmed returned with wicket apiece.
In reply, the visitors overhauled the target without breaking a sweat. While Jake Fraser-McGurk produced a blistering cameo of 10-ball 20 at the top, skipper Rishabh Pant (16* off 11) and Sumit Kumar (9*) stayed till the end to seal the deal in 8.5 overs.
"Lots of things to be pleased about. We spoke about champion mindset and our team spoke about it," Pant remarked.
When asked if it's the best bowling effort of IPL 2024, the DC captain said, "Definitely one of the best. Still early in the tournament and we can still improve from here."
Rishabh Pant said they wanted to chase down the target as early as possible in order to improve their net run-rate.
"The only conversation was to get it as early as possible because we lost few net run rate points in some other games where we lost," he said.
Commenting on n his bowlers' performance, Pant said, "I think we just want to enjoy one win at a time. They are hard to come by but you have to enjoy each and every moment."
With this victory, Delhi Capitals moved to the sixth spot in the 10-team points table. They will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday (April 20).
