IPL 2019: I was Looking to Play According to the Merit of the Ball – Rishabh Pant
Apr 13, 2019 at 1:51 AM
Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant combined well to guide Delhi Capitals to their fourth victory of the season beating Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Putting into bat first, Kolkata did a good job to post 178 runs on the board. They lost Joe Denly in the first ball of the game, but Shubman Gill and Robin Uthappa stitched 63 runs to bail their team out of danger. But a flurry of wickets in the middle brought Delhi Capitals back in the game. But Andre Russell’s blistering hitting helped them post a respectable total on the Kolkata wicket.
Wanted to play according to the merit of the ball
Meanwhile, it turned out to be not enough after heroics from Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan. They added 105 runs for the third wicket to almost take their team home. However, the visitors lost Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer in quick succession to be in a stage of trouble. But Dhawan and Pant ensured they sail home. While Dhawan returned to form ahead of the World Cup, Rishabh Pant’s matured batting grabbed the eyeballs. He played a risk-free knock and performed according to the merit of the delivery. He also revealed that the plan was to stretch the game and finish it quickly. Pacing an innings holds the key in T20s, and Pant showed great temperament to earn the applause.
“I just try to keep my head clear and play according to the ball. (The plan) Take the game deep and complete the game as soon as possible. In T20, when you are chasing, you need to control and pace your innings in such a way that you could complete the match in 18-20 overs,” he said.
Also, Rishabh Pant stated that he focuses on his game rather than overthinking about the bowlers. He also praised the pitch for being a good batting wicket and making things easy at the end.
“I don’t focus on what the bowlers are thinking. I just focus on my stuff. We (him and Dhawan) were just talking about taking the match deep. It was a fantastic pitch to bat on and in the end, we got it easily,” he concluded.