Pant aims to shake off rustiness as Delhi Capitals eye maiden win
He is our leader and heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger,” head coach Ricky Ponting had said of Pant ahead of the IPL.
Rishabh Pant
JAIPUR: Skipper Rishabh Pant will look to overcome his rustiness as Delhi Capitals aim for an improved batting display in their bid for a first win of the IPL season when they take on Rajasthan Royals here on Thursday.
Pant’s much-anticipated return to action 453 days after he suffered grievous injuries in a horrific car accident, lasted just 13 balls (18 runs) with Punjab Kings winning by four wickets at their new home ground in Mullanpur.
Pant, though, displayed his usual lively demeanour behind the stumps and also effected the stumping of Jitesh Sharma.
Having overcome the early jitters and nervousness in his first game, Pant would be eager to regain his mojo quickly as his match-up against the likes of Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal would be the highlight of the contest.
“It’s exciting to have your captain back in the team. He is our leader and heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger,” head coach Ricky Ponting had said of Pant ahead of the IPL.
Ponting chose David Warner and Mitchell Marsh to open the innings in the hope that the duo would score enough runs to take the pressure off Pant lower down the order. But the two failed to capitalise on good starts and the pressure soon came on Pant.
The Royals’ bowling has also hit the right notes with Trent Boult leading the charge with the new ball. Sandeep Sharma has also been superb in the death overs. With Riyan Parag scoring well, the Royals top-four will pose questions to the Delhi bowling lineup.
