Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka caught up with captain Rishabh Pant and head coach Justin Langer on the sidelines minutes after the Delhi Capitals snatched an IPL 2025 match from the jaws of LSG. Goenka was seen talking to Pant and Langer in a friendly manner but the fans on social media did not take much time to draw parallels with Goeonka's animated chat with former LSG captain KL Rahul. Goenka was seen slamming Rahul after LSG lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. The visuals of the same sparked a huge debate. The franchise ultimately released Rahul.
In the mega auction, LSG spent a record ₹27 crore to rope in Pant. He was also appointed captain of the franchise but the wicketkeeper-batter faltered on his LSG debut. Pant did not open his account in six balls and was also guilty of making a few errors while leading the side. Despite having two overs of experienced bowler Shardul Thakur up his sleeve, Pant threw the ball to Prince Yadav on his IPL debut when DC needed 22 off 12 balls. The youngster leaked 16 runs in the all-important 19th over. Pant then used Shahbaz Ahmed for the last over, who got hit for a six by Ashutosh Sharma.
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was in the commentary box when the visuals of Goenka's chat with Pant were shown on live TV. The former India captain said Pant knows where he erred on Monday against DC.
“I think he knows. He actually mentioned in the post-match interview that you often learn more from your mistakes than from your successes. When you bat well, there’s not much to reflect upon, but when you don’t perform with the bat or ball, you understand the areas that need improvement. This is just the first match, and there are 13 more to go. Rishabh Pant is an intelligent cricketer, and he will have picked up valuable insights regarding his batting and captaincy. I believe we will see him improve his performance. Additionally, when a captain scores runs or takes wickets, it significantly boosts their confidence in making bowling changes and setting the field. Once he gets some runs under his belt, I expect his captaincy to become even more assured," Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar reserves high praise for Ashutosh Sharma
{{/usCountry}}“I think he knows. He actually mentioned in the post-match interview that you often learn more from your mistakes than from your successes. When you bat well, there’s not much to reflect upon, but when you don’t perform with the bat or ball, you understand the areas that need improvement. This is just the first match, and there are 13 more to go. Rishabh Pant is an intelligent cricketer, and he will have picked up valuable insights regarding his batting and captaincy. I believe we will see him improve his performance. Additionally, when a captain scores runs or takes wickets, it significantly boosts their confidence in making bowling changes and setting the field. Once he gets some runs under his belt, I expect his captaincy to become even more assured," Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar reserves high praise for Ashutosh Sharma
{{/usCountry}}Gavaskar reserved high praise for DC batter Ashutosh Sharma, who hit an unbeaten 66 off 31 balls to help DC clinch a thrilling win in the last over.
"When that appeal against Mohit Sharma was referred, I was down here, and obviously, this is Delhi's home ground. The moment the decision was given in the batter's favor—'not out'—you should have seen the reaction of the crowd; they knew they had a chance. Then came the smart play from Mohit Sharma, an experienced campaigner. He just tapped the ball around, knowing he wouldn’t be able to clear the ropes, but the other man—Ashutosh Sharma could. And that was a fabulous finish! This is exactly what we’ve come to expect from the IPL, yet we always crave more. These last-over thrillers, these breath-taking finishes—that’s what I call BOLD: Breath-taking, Outstanding, Lightning, and Devastating."