IPL 2021: “Dew made it difficult for the DC bowlers” – Rishabh Pant
Delhi Capitals’ (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant cited dew in the second innings as one of the reasons for his side’s loss against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 7 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Defending 148, DC had RR at 52 for 5 at the halfway mark before David Miller blazed to a 43-ball 62, and fellow South African Chris Morris finished it off in style. Morris, who fetched INR 16.25 crore and became the highest-ever-paid player at an IPL auction, smashed an 18-ball 36 to finish off the game.
Rishabh Pant praised his bowlers for starting well to defend the low score but felt the side could have bowled better towards the end. He also lamented that the dew factor made it difficult in gripping the ball towards the death overs – a complaint that even MS Dhoni made after Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) loss against Delhi last week.
“I think the bowlers did a really good job in the start, but we let them (RR) get over us in the end. We could have bowled better. Dew got the better of us and played a big role towards the end. I think in the second innings, there was more dew than the first innings, so we had to be doing our part because the slower ball wasn’t stopping," said the DC skipper.
“I think we were 15-20 runs short. But there is something to gain from this match, the bowlers did well at the start. Hopefully, in the future, we can pull things off,” said Rishabh Pant in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Rishabh Pant’s lone show with the bat for Delhi Capitals
Put in to bat first, DC were off to a disastrous start, losing their in-form openers inside the fourth over. They were reduced to 37 for 4 after seven overs courtesy of a brilliant spell from Jaydev Unadkat. Rishabh Pant played a captain’s knock to help the Delhi side to some stability.
Rishabh Pant scored a 32-ball 51, an innings laden with nine fours, to help DC to some respectability. He played risk-free cricket and still managed 20 runs off Rahul Tewatia’s first over.
With DC not playing either Steve Smith or Shirmon Hetmeyer, Rishabh Pant’s wicket made the difference of 15-20 runs that he mentioned after the match.