Rishabh Pant all but sealed his place as India’s starting wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup with a belligerent unbeaten half-century in Delhi Capitals’ four-run win over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Skipper Pant and Axar Patel forged a mind-blowing stand of 113 runs off 68 balls on the way to quickly firing off individual half-centuries to take DC to 224 for 4 in their must-win game. In reply, Sai Sudarshan (65 off 29) and David Miller (55 off 23) scored fifties, while Rashid Khan hit an 11-ball 21 but still failed to take GT over the line, finishing with 220 for 8 in his 20 balances.
Sent in to bat, Pant led from the front, remaining unbeaten on 88 off 43 balls (5X4s, 8X6s), his innings proving a timely reminder for the national selectors, who are likely to pick him in India’s first XI against Pakistan in the World Cup match. T20 in New York, barring fitness issues.
Pant’s maturity was demonstrated when he managed his innings brilliantly in the company of Axar, who made 66 off 43 balls after being promoted to number three. His innings were studded with five fours and four sixes.
Chasing 225, GT lost captain Shubman Gill in the second over but Wriddhiman Saha (39) played some delightful shots and along with Impact Sub Sai Sudharsan shared 82 runs for the second wicket to keep GT in the hunt.
But as soon as Saha departed, Azmatullah Omarzai was also brilliantly caught by Jake Fraser-McGurk at mid-wicket off Axar soon.
But Sudharsan, who got a reprieve in the fifth over, used his long shaft to great effect to score his fifty off 29 balls.
But with the order rate rising steadily, Sudharsan had to try his shots, which ultimately led to his downfall as he was caught by Axar near Salam in the end. He hit seven fours and two sixes.
Miller (55 off 23, 6X4s, 3X6s) then put on a show to take them closer to the target and once out, Rashid gave GT hope with an unbeaten cameo of 11 balls and 21 runs.
Needing 19 runs off the last over, Rashid hit Mukesh Kumar for two consecutive fours off the first two balls and then sent the pacer over the fence off the penultimate ball to reduce the deficit to 5 off the last ball.
But Mukesh remained calm as Rashid failed to clear the fence and GT fell short.
But Wednesday’s game was all about Pant as he squashed all doubts about his T20 World Cup chances with a magnificent innings. The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman was also brilliant behind the stumps, taking two sharp catches.
Earlier, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Prithvi Shaw gave DC an excellent start, racing to 34 in 3 overs.
Fraser-McGurk, who hit a stunning 18-ball 65 in his last match, looked to be at his menacing best as he elegantly pulled the GT bowlers over the fence, but his knock was stopped by Sandeep Warrier as the young Australian was tied in the square. leg of Noor Ahmed.
It was a double blow for DC in the fourth over as Shaw was caught by Noor off Warrier two balls later with a good diving effort at backward square leg as the batsman went for the maximum.
DC’s problems were compounded further when Warrier was responsible for his second scalp of the day in the form of Shai Hope, who was caught by a diving Rashid at cover boundary as DC slumped to 44 for 3 in the powerplay.
With three wickets down, Pant and Axar initially played sensibly and tried to establish a partnership, but once set, they unleashed their brutal attack.
Pant started slowly but gained confidence as time went on and unleashed his trademark leg strikes, cuts and pulls to score his runs.
While Pant looked full steam ahead after hitting his stride, Axar played second fiddle but had no hesitation in dispatching bad balls to the fence.
But Axar increased his pace as the innings progressed and scored a fifty off 37 balls with a boundary off Rashid off the last ball of the 15th over.
Pant attacked anything that was thrown at his legs as he effortlessly hit Mohit Sharma for a six over midwicket in the 16th over. He then defeated Mohit for a long period to increase DC’s run rate.
Axar matched his captain stroke for stroke as he dispatched Noor for huge consecutive sixes in the 17th over.
But in search of one more, Axar died in the next ball, caught by Sai Kishore at long-off.
Pant brought up his fifty with a strike over the fence off Mohit.
Tristan Stubbs’ cameo of 26 runs off seven balls and Pant’s pyrotechnics at the end took DC past the 200-run mark.
Pant wreaked havoc on Mohit towards the end, hitting the veteran bowler with four sixes and a four to score 31 runs.
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