“It's one of those tournaments where little things haven't gone Rishabh Pant’s way” - Shane Watson reflects on DC skipper’s below-par batting in IPL 2022 

Delhi Capitals’ (DC) assistant coach Shane Watson has admitted that captain Rishabh Pant has not lived up to expectations with the bat in IPL 2022. He attributed the left-hander’s below-par showing to a combination of bad luck and poor shot selection.

Pant, 24, has scored 294 runs in 12 matches this season at an average of 32.67. While he has maintained an impressive strike rate of 156.38, he has a highest score of a mere 44.

Reflecting on Pant’s performances, Watson said on ‘The Grade Cricketer’ podcast that the keeper-batter is still young and will learn from his mistakes. He explained:

“It’s been one of those tournaments where little things haven't gone Rishabh Pant’s way. A couple of random chop ons out of nowhere. Then, there are a couple of simple mistakes that he has made from a shot-selection perspective. He’s only 24. He’s going to find that method. The skill development he has got at such a young age, you don’t see that in Australia.”

Watson also praised Pant’s aggressive mindset, pointing out that he wants to take the game on. The former Aussie all-rounder added:

"Rishabh’s mindset is to entertain. He’d prefer to go down taking the game on than just being defensive. That’s what his mindset has always been. Even in this IPL, he has come in and taken the game on against world-class bowlers and just taken them down.”

The DC skipper remained unbeaten on 13 off four balls in the IPL team’s win over Rajasthan on Wednesday. He hammered two sixes off Yuzvendra Chahal as Delhi chased down a target of 161 with ease courtesy Mitchell Marsh’s 89.

You can find the full IPL match list here.

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“It’s not looking great” - Shane Watson gives an update on DC opener Prithvi Shaw

Delhi have missed the services of opener Prithvi Shaw in recent matches as the youngster has been hospitalized due to illness. Asked for an update on the batter, Watson admitted that Shaw is unlikely to feature in the franchise’s remaining two playoff matches as well. He informed:

“It’s not looking great. I don’t know his exact diagnosis but he has had this underlying sort of fever for the previous couple of weeks. They’ve (medical staff) had to really get to the bottom of it to find out exactly what it was. It’s not looking great for him to be available for us for the last couple of games, which is a shame because he is an incredibly skilful batter. It’s a big loss.”

Shaw has 259 runs to his name from nine matches at an average of 28.78 and a strike rate of 159.88.