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Following his side's four-run win over Gujarat Titans (GT), Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant opened up on his time away from the game and lauded all-rounder Axar Patel for his fine half-century under pressure.
All-round performances from Delhi Capitals (DC) players guided them to victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) by four runs in the 40th encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Speaking in a video posted by the Indian Premier League (IPL) official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Pant said that he enjoyed his knock and for him, being on the field after the life-threatening car accident that he had matters to him. "Definitely, love it (his knock of 88* in 43 balls, with five fours and eight sixes). I am someone who cannot praise himself. Being on the field matters to me, especially after the injury I had. When I was injured, I had a conversation with myself that when I am back, I should be looking better, moving better and thinking better. Something that keeps me awake at night is that I should not be in the same place," said Pant. "It was nice (Axar's fifty). He was also going through ups and downs, not getting enough runs. Sometimes, people ask questions about it. He is someone who backs whatever is said about him. He is always there whenever put under pressure and given a job. He always puts his hands up and is there for us," added the skipper. Head coach Ricky Ponting said that the win is an important one for the team, their first one at home this season which has helped them sneak to the sixth spot. "A really important game for us. Our first win at home this season. We have sneaked back upto the sixth position. We have got one more game against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a couple of days. We will try getting one more win at home in our bank and push up the ladder," he said. Ponting also lauded batter Tristan Stubbs for his cameo and fielding. He also lauded the whole group as a whole for their fielding effort. Coming to the game, Gujarat won the toss and opted to bowl first. After a swift start from openers Jake Fraser McGurk (23 in 14 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Prithvi Shaw (11 in seven balls, with two fours), DC was restricted to 44/3. Then, Axar Patel (66 in 43 balls, with five fours and four sixes) and Rishabh Pant launched a counterattack on GT. In the death overs, Pant joined forces with Tristan Stubbs (26* in seven balls, with three fours and two sixes) to destroy GT's death bowling. Pant finished at 88* in 43 balls, with five fours and eight sixes. DC was 224/4 in their 20 overs. Sandeep Warrier (3/15) was the pick of the bowlers for GT. In the run-chase, GT lost skipper Shubman Gill early. A counter-attacking was once again in works as Wriddhiman Saha (39 in 25 balls, with five fours and a six) and Sai Sudarshan (65 in 39 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) had an 82-run partnership. In the later stages, David Miller (55 in 23 balls, with six fours and three sixes), Sai Kishore (13 in six balls with two sixes) and Rashid Khan (21* in 11 balls, with three fours and a six) put pressure on DC bowlers, but the hosts held their nerves to win the game by four runs, restricting GT to 220/8 in their 20 overs. Rasikh Salam (3/44) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/29) were among the top bowlers for DC. Pant took home the 'Player of the Match' award. DC is at the sixth spot in the points table, with four wins, five losses and eight points. On the other hand, GT is at the seventh spot with the same win-loss and points, but an inferior net-run-rate. (ANI)
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