New Delhi, Apr 23
Delhi Capitals mentor Sourav Ganguly praised wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who played a scintillating knock to guide his team to a six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Chasing 192, Delhi rode on brilliant half centuries from Shikhar Dhawan (54 off 27) and Pant (78* off 36) at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday to move to the top of the points table.
The 21-year-old, who is not a part of the 15-member India squad for the upcoming World Cup, perhaps played his most responsible knock of the season and helped his side reach the target with four balls to spare. After the game, Ganguly took the Twitter to praise the young batsman and wrote: “Rishabh pant @RishabPant777@ParthJindal11u deserve this … u r wow (sic)” After the win, Ganguly was also seen rushing to the field and lifting Pant with absolute delight. Pant, while talking to Prithvi Shaw—with whom he shared an 84-run stand for the third wicket—after the match, said it was surreal for him when Ganguly lifted him.
Reflecting on this innings, the left-handed batsman said he was happy to contribute in his side’s win.
“I am feeling lovely,” said Pant at the post-match presentation ceremony after being named the Player of the Match. “To make your team win in an important match is a good feeling.”
Delhi, sitting at the top of the table with 14 points, will now face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Sunday.
