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.
1/10:Rishabh Pant blitz leads Delhi Capitals' win over Gujarat Titans
AFP
2/10:The Rishabh Pant Show
<p>Rishabh Pant virtually sealed his spot as India's first choice wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup with a belligerent unbeaten half-century in Delhi Capitals' narrow four-run win over Gujarat Titans.</p>AFP
3/10:Pant-Patel duo
<p>Skipper Pant and Axar Patel forged a blistering stand of 113 runs off 68 balls en route to quickfire individual half-centuries to power DC to 224 for 4 in their must-win game.</p>AFP
4/10:Bombardment of boundaries
<p>Sent in to bat, Pant led from the front, remaining unbeaten on 88 off 43 balls (with five 4s and eight 6s), his innings proving to be a timely reminder to the national selectors.</p>AFP
5/10:Axar at 3
<p>Pant's maturity showed as he paced his innings brilliantly in the company of Axar, who made 66 off 43 balls after being promoted to the third spot.</p>AFP
6/10:Gill goes early
<p>Chasing 225, GT lost skipper Shubman Gill in the second over but Wriddhiman Saha (39) played some delightful shots.</p>AFP
7/10:Sudharsan's stay
<p>Sudharsan, who got a reprieve in the fifth over, used his long handle to great effect to notch up his fifty off 29 balls.</p>AFP
8/10:Sudharsan's downfall
<p>But with the asking rate constantly creeping up, Sudharsan had to go for his shots which eventually led to his downfall as he was caught by Axar off Salam at long-off.</p>AFP
9/10:Rashid falls short
<p>Needing 19 runs off the last over, Rashid fell short despite hitting Mukesh Kumar for two consecutive fours in the first two balls and then sent the pacer over the fence in the penultimate delivery.</p>AFP
10/10:T20 World Cup spot secured?
<p>But the game was all about Pant as he squashed all doubts about his T20 World Cup chances with a magnificent innings.</p>AFPPant, 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.
