The Delhi Daredevils (DD) opener, Rishabh Pant, scored his maiden IPL fifty last night, against the Gujarat Lions. After having been bought for a hefty Rs. 1.9 crore from a base amount of Rs. 10 lakh in the auction for the 9th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) he finally came good for DD under Rahul Dravid’s mentorship.
The wicket-keeper batsman made the fastest half-century in the U-19 level, off 18 balls, against Nepal during the World Cup earlier this year. In his match-winning knock of 78 off 24, he hammered five sixes and nine fours and ended with a strike rate of 325.00, which helped India easily chase down a target of 169 with 179 balls left.
The 18-year-old Pant won his first Man of the Match award in the IPL for his crucial contribution last night. His 69 off just 40 balls helped Delhi cruise through to an eight-wicket win over the Lions. In doing so, Pant became the second youngest batsman to score a fifty in the IPL, preceded by Sanju Samson who scored a fifty in 2013.
Also read: 10 things you did not know about Delhi Daredevils wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant
In the post-match ceremony, the young opener said he just tried to play his natural game, and that helped him.
“Obviously, it’s a good feeling to contribute something in team’s victory, all the staff members and captain have confidence in me, faith in me and I just justified their confidence and faith. The pitch was good to bat on and I just played my natural game. ”
Captain’s belief in me helped boost my confidence
Although it was Pant’s debut as an opener for DD last night, he looked aggressive and full of confidence during his fiery innings. The partnership of 115 runs between the left-hander and Quinton de Kock (46) was the highest opening wicket partnership for Delhi this season.
“Zakbhai (Zaheer Khan) had told me that if you get an opportunity to play, grab it with both the hands and I just did that.”
The Delhi Daredevils captain, Zaheer Khans’ belief and confidence in the youngster reflected in his game.
“He told me to not think too much about the game and how to play, don’t take the pressure and play your natural game and the main thing is that I just played my natural game. Zakbhai has a different fielding placement in every game because we have a plan for every game and try to execute our plan on the field.”
After yesterday’s win, Delhi Daredevils are placed second in the points table with 10 points and the highest net run rate (NRR) of +0.547.
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