The young Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper, Rishabh Pant has expressed his excitement to lead the franchise against his mentor MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their opening fixture on April 10. Pant has learned quite a few of the tricks of the trade under the shadows of former skipper Dhoni ever since his T20I debut in 2017. Since Dhoni’s retirement, Pant and KL Rahul have often been considered as India’s top choice wicketkeepers in all separate formats.
Pant talked in detail about his desire to outsmart his mentor and as per the press release issued by the franchise, the DC captain said, “My first match as captain will be against Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai. It will be a good experience for me as I have learned a lot from him. I have my own experience as a player as well… I’ll apply my own experience and the learnings from MS Dhoni, and try to do something different against CSK.”
📹 | @RishabhPant17 brought a lot of positive energy to his first interview as captain 🤩
P.S. #RP17 is all set for the first game against mentor and friend, @msdhoni 💙💛#YehHaiNayiDilli #DCAllAccess @OctaFX pic.twitter.com/D3zrquEf1C
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 6, 2021
In the last six months or so, Rishabh Pant has endured a roller-coaster ride in international cricket, owing to his gutsy batting and drastically improved keeping. He often draws comparisons with Dhoni but Pant has always been aiming for a space of his own even though he does turn to the senior player for advice and mentorship.
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Elaborating the same, “I am looking forward to making most of this opportunity. We haven’t won a title yet and I will try my level best to get a title this year. We’ve been playing nicely as a team for the last two three years and our preparations are going on well… Everyone looks in a great frame of mind. Everyone is giving their 100 percent and is happy in the team environment, and that’s what you want as a captain.”
Rishabh Pant also shared the positive influence of head coach Ricky Ponting and the plethora of experience he brings to the table as a former player and manager which will prove mighty beneficial for them in their bid for a maiden IPL title.
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Pant elaborated, “He (Ricky Ponting) has been so amazing for us in the last two-three years… He brings energy to the team and as a player when you see your coach and you’re thinking this is the man from whom you can learn a lot, then nothing is better than that… Hopefully, we will cross the line this year, with the help of Ricky and the whole team.”
