The Delhi Capitals (DC) destroyed the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Wednesday, April 17 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With six wickets and 11.1 overs remaining, the DC team successfully chased down the pitiful score after dismissing the former champions for 89. Before leading his side home with an undefeated 16 off of 11 balls in the second inning, Rishabh Pant made an impression as captain and wicketkeeper in the first.
Rishabh Pant had won the toss and chosen to field first earlier in the day. As Ishant Sharma and Mukesh Kumar caused mayhem at the top, the choice turned out to be incredibly advantageous. The Titans were never able to recover after losing four wickets in the opening five overs. Pant’s brilliant field placements and bowling adjustments paid off as he brilliantly suppressed the hosts’ flashy hitting unit.
The 26-year-old was equally effective behind the stumps, where he removed the dangerous David Miller off Ishant’s bowling with a spectacular catch. His glove performance against the spinners was as good, as he successfully stopped Tristan Stubbs’ bowling in the ninth over, which resulted in the important stumpings of Shahrukh Khan and Abhinav Manohar. The Delhi franchise dominated the Shubman Gill-led team, recording their lowest team total of the season, and Pant didn’t let his team’s passion waver when they had the Titans on the ropes.
James Hopes, Delhi’s bowling coach, praised Pant profusely after the game and stated that the vacuum left by his absence the previous season was too great to fill. The southpaw is becoming better at every facet of his game, according to the former Australian all-rounder.
“Pant’s holding up very well. Is that not the case? We made a great effort to fill that void last year. However, it’s quite difficult to cover a top-tier keeper, if not the greatest wicketkeeper-batter in the world. After he returned, Hopes was described by India Today as stating, “You can just see everything about his game; his keeping is getting better, his captaincy is getting very sharp, and his batting has been pretty good from the start of the tournament.”
“He is starting to settle into a really decent form for the competition’s second half. And he’s leading quite well right now,” he continued.
Rishabh Pant was given credit for his overall performance when he was named Player of the Match.
He had a near-fatal vehicle accident in December 2022, which kept him out of the Indian Premier League last year. But since making a comeback to the IPL in 2024, the charming player has led the Capitals from the front and produced some excellent performances.
Arun Jaitley Stadium will host the Delhi Capitals one more time.
So far in their seven games, the Capitals have won three and lost four. They have only had a few home games this season, both of which took place in Visakhapatnam. However, for the remaining home games, beginning with the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, April 20, the squad will make the trip back to Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Also read: Shot of the Day: Jake Fraser’s audacious first ball six leaves Ganguly amused: GT vs DC IPL 2024
The Capitals will visit home for three straight games. As Pant and company attempt to maintain their chances of making the playoffs, Hopes is looking forward to scoring some significant points during their forthcoming home stand.
“We’ve reached the midway point. We discussed before the game that a victory tonight would put us on the table. With three home games in Delhi, we also have a decent week and a half ahead of us. The following game is SRH, and we are running into the freight train. Already, we are getting ready for that. We’re going to be in the top four if we have a strong week and a half,” Hopes stated.
India
