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'Rishabh told me 'You have only 2 matches to prove yourself'' - Ex-DC bowler on how Pant got him his first big IPL break
Rishabh Pant's captaincy at Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021 was lauded by most, including cricketing greats, coach Ricky Ponting and his teammates.
Termed as perennial underachievers for years, the Delhi Capitals have turned it around in style during the last two season of the IPL. Runner-up in IPL 2020 and another Playoffs finish the next year, the Capitals are finally emerging as title heavyweights. If they reached the final of the IPL in 2020 under Shreyas Iyer, the following edition under Rishabh Pant, DC ended the league stage as the top-ranked team with 20 points from 14 matches, including 10 wins. In fact, if Pant is now being eyed as a strong candidate to be India's next long-term leader, it is due to the nerves of steel and tremendous captaincy acumen he displayed in the IPL for the Capitals. (Also Read: 'Once-in-a-generation cricketer': Former Pakistan bowler places Babar Azam on the same level of greatness as Virat Kohli)
Pant's captaincy was lauded by most, including cricketing greats, coach Ricky Ponting and his teammates. In fact, under Pant's leadership, an unlikely name made headlines in IPL 2021 as young pacer Avesh Khan made a mark and finished the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker after Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel. However, as it turns out, Avesh would have likely not featured had it not been for Pant's backing of the 25-year-old quick.
"IPL 2021 was wonderful for me because I ended as the second-highest wicket-taker. Before that, I was with the Delhi Capitals for three years but I did not get many opportunities. In 2 years, I had played just 2 matches, and I couldn't get a chance to show my talent. But last year, when Rabada and Nortje were unavailable for the first two matches and Ishant picked up an injury, so he too could not play," Avesh told Boria Majumdar on the show 'Backstage with Boria'.
"Ricky Ponting showed faith in me and as did Rishabh. He backed me a lot and said to me 'You have only these two matches to prove yourself. After that you’ll have to create a place of your own with your own efforts'."
And the faith in Avesh paid off. In the first match itself, against Chennai Super Kings, the right-arm pacer dismissed Faf du Plessis and MS Dhoni as two big wickets, and went on to add another 22 to finish with a total of 24 wickets in IPL 2021.
