[Watch] "Come on Rishabh" - Ravichandran Ashwin cheers for Rishabh Pant in heartwarming moment at the nets ahead of DC-RR IPL 2024 clash

Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Ravichandran Ashwin cheered for Delhi Capitals (DC) Rishabh Pant by encouraging him during the nets session ahead of the clash between the teams in Jaipur on Thursday.

Pant made his long-awaited return to competitive cricket in DC's season opener against Punjab Kings (PBKS). While his side suffered a four-wicket defeat, the southpaw looked in fine nick with the willow, scoring 18 off 13 before his dismissal.

Pant also looked better than ever behind the stumps with the gloves with a catch and a stumping during PBKS' batting innings.

Indian fans are akin to Pant's famous 'Come on Ash, Come on Ash' chants behind the stumps as Ashwin runs into bowl. Hence, it was time for a role reversal as the latter motivated the returning Pant with 'Come on Rishabh' cheers.

Here is a video of the same shared by Rajasthan Royals on their Twitter handle:

While Pant could not start his 2024 IPL season on a winning note, Ashwin played a vital role in RR emerging victorious in their opening encounter against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

After a sub-par opening over, the champion off-spinner bowled three sensational overs, including an incredible 18th over, to help RR clinch victory by 20 runs. Ashwin finished with excellent figures of 1/35 in four overs on a batting-friendly wicket at Jaipur.

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DC and RR had disappointing IPL 2023 seasons

Despite contrasting routes, both DC and RR endured disappointing seasons in last year's IPL.

In the absence of regular skipper Rishabh Pant, DC suffered five consecutive losses to open their campaign. Although they enjoyed a much better second half of the tournament, the side finished second to bottom with only five wins in 14 outings.

Meanwhile, RR continued from where they left off in their final run in IPL 2022, winning four of their first five games. Yet, Sanju Samson's side capitulated in the latter part of the season and finished with an underwhelming seven wins in 14 games to miss the playoffs.

Both franchises have struggled to achieve ultimate IPL glory over the last few years. While RR hasn't tasted IPL triumph since winning in the opening edition in 2008, DC has never won the coveted trophy in their torrid history.

RR were among the pre-tournament favorites to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2024 and have made the ideal beginning to their campaign with a convincing win over LSG.