After registering a dominant win over five-time Indian Premier League champions Mumbai Indians last week, Delhi Capitals will return to action later tonight when the side faces Gujarat Titans in Pune. The Rishabh Pant-led side had secured a four-wicket win with 10 balls to spare as it chased down a 178-run target against the MI. Yet to win an IPL title in their 15-year history, the Capitals will be one of the leading competitors for the coveted trophy this year as they look to end the title drought.
At the center of their campaign is captain Pant, who has been immense for the side over the past few seasons. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter currently bats at 4 for the franchise and has produced some remarkable performance for the DC ever since joining the franchise in 2016. In the past two seasons, however, Pant's strike rate has dipped considerably in DC colours but former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who has worked closely with Pant, believes that it is not a thing to worry about.
“Rishabh is not a sort of player who will be under pressure. He is always going to play his natural game. The way Rishabh plays, being consistent is not easy because he will take chances. He takes care of the strike rate because he comes to bat at no.4, where you have to take the run-scoring up. So, it's a high-risk game there. If he performs, he can cover up his strike rate issue in a single innings,” said Shastri on ESPNCricinfo.
{{/usCountry}}“Rishabh is not a sort of player who will be under pressure. He is always going to play his natural game. The way Rishabh plays, being consistent is not easy because he will take chances. He takes care of the strike rate because he comes to bat at no.4, where you have to take the run-scoring up. So, it's a high-risk game there. If he performs, he can cover up his strike rate issue in a single innings,” said Shastri on ESPNCricinfo.
{{/usCountry}}Shastri also noted similarities in Rishabh Pant and former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, adding that Pant is more composed as a skipper than it may seem.
“I liked him tactically as a captain. He used Kuldeep brilliantly and also made good bowling changes. He is a street-smart cricketer and yes, he will learn a lot more,” said Shastri.
“The thing I like about him the most is that his batting and his captaincy is not the same. As a captain, he is a lot more composed. His idol is MS Dhoni, so he tries to a lot of things like him. Even if you watch him before the game, his practice and work ethics are a lot similar to Dhoni. So, he's very composed and very calm.”
Furthermore, the former India head coach also advised the 23-year-old batter to “push himself up" in the DC batting order if the side doesn't look a wicket in Powerplay overs. “In Powerplay, if there are no wickets, Rishabh should push himself up. There's no harm in playing at 3,” said Shastri.