IPL 2021: [Watch] Rishabh Pant almost knocks out Dinesh Karthik's head in Sharjah

In one of the most hilarious moments on the field, Delhi Capitals (DC) wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant almost knocked out his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) counterpart Dinesh Karthik while batting in Sharah on Tuesday.

In the 17th over of DC's innings, Rishabh Pant tried to slog sweep Varun Chakravarthy over mid-wicket but the ball missed his bat and hit his back leg instead. Pant saw the ball bouncing towards the stumps and tried to swat it away with full force. Dinesh Karthik, who had come forward to collect the ball, just managed to hold his head back and swayed off the collision by a couple of inches.

Here are a couple of videos of the incident:

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The incident left Chakravarthy and the rest of the KKR lineup wide-eyed, but Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik were seen sharing a fistbump and an amusing chat. The duo have always been on good terms despite being competitors for the same spot in the national team.

Rishabh Pant carries DC to 127

On a pitch tailormade for slow and medium-pace bowlers, almost everyone in the DC lineup struggled against KKR's bowling attack.

Openers Steve Smith and Shikhar Dhawan scored 39 and 24 respectively, but they couldn't make the new ball count with regard to quick scoring. Rishabh Pant, who came to bat at no.4, held one end with his 36-ball 39, even as three batsmen that came after him recorded ducks. The skipper got away with three boundaries as well before finally losing his wicket in the last over via a run-out.

The KKR camp will be happiest with the bowling performances of Sunil Narine (2-18) and Lockie Ferguson (2-10) alongside a pleasing contribution from opening batsman Venkatesh Iyer (2-29).

The Capitals, who also have the services of two brilliant spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, will fancy their chances in defending 127 against a team who are without the services of their best all-rounder, Andre Russell.