Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina gave him several parts of appreciation while the likes of Rahul Dravid and Paddy Upton alongside the whole Feroz Shah Kotla stadium stood up when Rishabh Pant’s hair-raising 97-run knock came to an end.

Chasing a mammoth 208, Delhi Daredevils went off to a worst possible start as their skipper Karun Nair departed with just 24 runs on the board. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it brought Pant on the pitch. The highly-rated youngster, who had scored a whirlwind triple century in Ranji Trophy last year, began firing on all cylinders right from the word go, never giving the opposition bowlers a breathing space.

The carnage began in the fifth over when he hit Pradeep Sangwan for a couple of sixes and a four and reached his fifty in just 27 balls by launching Raina for a huge six. Not a single bowler managed to escape Pant’s wrath as he was looking destined to score maiden IPL century. However, he fell short by just three runs after edging a Basil Thampi delivery straight to Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps.

As expected, Pant was distraught after missing the well-deserved century before Raina consoled him for the match-defining knock. His 97-run knock set the Daredevils on the path to register a stunning victory as they needed only 30 runs in the last 5 overs. His knock was studded with 6 fours and 9 sixes.

Here is a clip showing Pant’s dismissal and Raina’s reaction:

https://twitter.com/lKR1088/status/860194545224568832