Mumbai: Rishabh Pant’s utterly destructive 78 powered Delhi Capitals to a 37-run win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL here Sunday, giving further proof of why he should be on the World Cup-bound plane to England.
Pant got those runs in only 27 balls and while the relentless onslaught would do his confidence a world of good, Jasprit Bumrah’s shoulder injury two months before the ICC showpiece left the Indian cricket fraternity on tenterhooks.
The Delhi dazzler’s seven towering sixes and as many fours at a Wankhede Stadium that was made to look like a tiny ground left the Mumbai Indians bowlers, including the world’s best pacer Jasprit Bumrah, traumatised and gave rechristened Delhi Capitals the fresh beginning they longed for. Sent into bat, Delhi Capitals notched up an imposing 213 for six in the stipulated 20 overs, and buried under a pile of runs, there was not much of a riposte from the hosts, who were stopped at 176 in 19.2 overs after an injured Bumrah failed to show up with the willow. Such was the 21-year-old Pant’s assault that Delhi raked in 99 runs in the last six overs.
Pant smashed the world’s best fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, for a few sixes as well. Pant, playing his natural game, mercilessly punished the Mumbai bowlers after South African Colin Ingram (47 off 32 balls 7×4, 1×6) and Shikhar Dhawan (43 off 36 balls; 4×4; 1×6) pulled the visitors out of the rubble and laid the foundation of a big total with their 83-run stand for the third wicket. The young wicketkeeper was brutal on Hardik Pandya, whom he hammered for two sixes and a four in the 16th over to start the destruction and then spared none. He struck two sixes and a four off debutant Rasikh Salam in the 19th over. (PTI)
Delhi Capitals
213/6 (20 Overs)
(R Pant* 78,
C Ingram 47;
McClenaghan 3/40)
Mumbai Indians
176 all out (19.2 Overs)
(Y Singh 53,
K Pandya 32;
K Rabada 2/23)