IPL 2019: Rishabh Pant is a 'bowler killer', says Irfan Pathan

Just a few days ago, Rishabh Pant was all over the news for all the wrong reasons. The highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman was facing the flak for his poor show against Australia in the final two games of the five-match series. However, on Sunday, the southpaw showed why the team-management is backing him to the hilt in order to take him to England for the World Cup. Pant tore apart Mumbai Indians and powered Delhi Capitals to a stunning win.

Delhi Capitals were 112 for 3 at the end of 13 overs when Rishabh Pant arrived at the crease to join Shikhar Dhawan. At that stage it looked like Delhi Capitals will score somewhere around 180 if they manage to do well in the finishing overs. Pant’s slow start only strengthened those speculations. In the first five 5 deliveries that he faced, he managed to score just 1. But everyone soon realised that it was just the silence before the storm that would eventually blow Mumbai Indians away.

By the time, Pant’s carnage ended, Delhi Capitals had raced away to 213 for 6 – their highest-ever total against the Mumbai-based franchise. Pant smashed 78 not out of just 27 deliveries. The breathtaking knock was studded with 7 fours and as many sixes. The knock helped Delhi amass as many as 82 runs in the final five overs to post the massive score. In reply, Mumbai Indians were all out for 176 runs to lose the opener by 37 runs.

Since the game ended, the entire cricketing fratnernity is busy finding superlatives for Pant and former India allrounder Irfan Pathan has come up with an apt one. Praising Delhi’s batting lineup, Irfan called Pant a ‘ bowler killer’, writing:

“This young @DelhiCapitals team has something special and they showed that today. @RishabPant777 is a Bowler killer #ipl”

Here is Irfan’s tweet

A great journey:

Pant deservedly walked away with the Man of the Match award. Following the game, the youngster, who had amassed a staggering 684 runs in the last IPL, said that his journey in the game so far has been great.

“It’s been a great journey, trying to learn every day in my cricketing career. Always a great feeling when you score runs and the team wins. I always bat according to the situation all the time. Today when I came in, I had to up the ante and so took my chances. It came off tonight,” he said.

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