'He is the find of the season for us' - Rishabh Pant praises Avesh Khan for consistent performances

After finishing 3rd and 2nd in two consecutive seasons, 2021 seems like the year when Delhi Capitals could become the champions. The chances of winning it have increased a bit even more after they won their ninth game in 12 matches. Rishabh Pant and co. defeated Mumbai Indians by four wickets in a close, low-scoring thriller in Sharjah on Saturday, October 2. 

One of the top performers in the win was Avesh Khan. Pant, after the match spoke about the right-arm pacer, who has been having the season of his career. He was once again in the thick of things as he finished with figures of 3 for 15 from four overs. He picked up the crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya as well, which helped Delhi in restricting Mumbai for only 129 for 7. 

Pant praised his teammate for his performances this season. He further noted that the team will have the services of Marcus Stoinis soon, which will solidify their batting unit. “Avesh is the find of the season for us. But at Delhi Capitals, we learn from our mistakes and pick up. We have to solidify our batting. Stoinis should be fine in a few days, and that will be good for us,” Pant said in the post-match presentation. 

Avesh Khan and Pant have been teammates since their India U-19 days. He backed Avesh ahead of the other senior bowlers like Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma. The faith shown in him has been rewarded with performances. He now has 21 wickets in 12 matches with an average of 15 and an economy rate of 7.00. 

It’s a hard-fought victory: Rishabh Pant after Mumbai game

The Delhi Capitals skipper also spoke about the tactics which he used on the slow Sharjah wicket. “In Sharjah, the wicket always plays differently. Yes, it’s a hard-fought victory. We were planning to bowl mostly the fast bowlers in the powerplay. Easier for the spinner in these tracks. I held back one over of Ashwin to keep him away from Pollard and Hardik,” said Pant. 

With his batters struggling to adjust with the pace of the pitch, Pant came out firing. He scored 26 runs from 22 balls, hitting three fours and one six. The southpaw said, “You can’t always go for it, but someone has to be aggressive in the powerplay.”