DC vs LSG: Rishabh Pant relishes ‘heartening’ support from whole of India in comeback season
IPL 2024, DC vs LSG: Rishabh Pant relishes ‘heartening’ support from whole of India in comeback season
In Short
- Rishabh Pant said that he was overwhelmed by the support he got on his comeback
- Pant was out of the game for nearly 15 months because of a car accident
- Pant has scored over 400 runs for DC in IPL 2024
Rishabh Pant said that he was pleasantly surprised to see the support that came from every nook and corner of India in his comeback season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The wicketkeeper suffered an accident in December 2022 after which he stayed out of the game for almost 15 months. Although DC might not qualify for the playoffs, Pant has shown grit and determination in the last couple of months.
In 13 games, the 26-year-old Pant scored 446 runs at an average of 40.54 and a strike-rate of 155.40 with 3 fifties and a top score of 88 not out to his name. In fact, he is the only batter from DC to have racked up over 400 runs this season. On Tuesday, DC beat KL Rahul’s LSG by 19 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
“Personally, it was fantastic to come back on the field. The kind of support I got from the whole of India was heartening to see. It was a long time to wait," Pant told in the post-match presentation ceremony.
‘Pooran was giving us a hard time’
After being asked to bat, DC scored 208 for the loss of 4 wickets. Thereafter, Nicholas Pooran and Arshad Khan made them work hard with knocks of 61 and 58 not out, but in the end, DC managed to hold their nerve.
IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule
"Pooran was giving us a hard time, with the kind of calibre he has. But we had certain plans,” Pant said.
Throughout their season, DC faced injury concerns to few of their players, including David Warner. However, Pant doesn’t want to use them as an excuse for the team’s indifferent campaign.
“We started the season with a lot of hope, but there were injuries, and ups and downs. But as a franchise, you can't complain all the time; you have to make use of what you haveâ€æ There are some things which you can control, but some things which you can't,” Pant added.
After beating LSG, the Capitals are currently placed fifth in the table with 14 points and a net run rate of -0.377 thanks to wins in 7 out of 14 games.