NEW DELHI:
Rishabh Pant
scored an unbeaten 88 runs to lead the Delhi Capitals to a tight IPL victory over the Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, enhancing his chances of being selected for India's
T20 World Cup
squad.
Delhi posted a score of 224-4 thanks to a 113-run partnership between Pant and fellow left-hander Axar Patel, who scored 66, after the team stumbled to 44-3 within the first six overs at their home ground, Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The hosts restricted Gujarat to 220-8 to secure a four-run win despite David Miller's rapid 55 off 23 balls and an unbeaten 21 off 11 balls from Rashid Khan.
Mukesh Kumar held his composure in the final over, securing Delhi's fourth win in nine matches and keeping their playoff hopes alive in the T20 tournament.
Pant, 26, achieved his third half-century of the season, marking a comeback after a 14-month hiatus from top-level cricket following a severe car accident in December 2022, when his Mercedes crashed into a barrier, flipped, and caught fire.
Pant, a wicketkeeper-batsman, endured multiple injuries and was immediately taken to the hospital before being airlifted to Mumbai for additional treatment and surgery.
Pant reached his half-century in style, hitting a six off Mohit Sharma. He then dominated the medium-pace bowler in a thrilling 31-run 20th over, finishing with a six, a four, and three over-the-fence hits, much to the delight of the crowd.
After DC's win, a fan posted a funny video of a person replicating Pant-like shots.
'Rishabh pant when people start doubting him,' the fan captioned the video.
To this, Pant posted his reaction and said: ‘Quite funny. looks good'.
Delhi Capitals will next face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
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