209 to chase. High pressure game. High voltage atmosphere. Two immensely talented youngsters going berserk. Samson looks in top form. Pant is batting like a man possessed. Deliveries being hit out of the park. Maximums being hit at an unreal average of one per six balls. Bowlers being decimated; temperaments pulverized; lions tamed.
Riding on Samson’s extraordinary 61 off 31 and Pant’s outstandingly bewitching 97 off 43, Delhi Daredevils make a mockery of the target, cutting it out in just 17.3 overs. Yes, fifteen deliveries still left! How many times have we seen a 200+ score being chased down with such authority, such impudence? Pant and Samson were like two poets in full flow, reciting some of the best sonnets on their way to a best-seller.
Rishabh Pant, in particular, looked like he was batting on a different planet altogether. Yes, we have seen 200+ being chased down quite a few times. But this chase was a special one; not because the number of balls they took to chase it down, but because of the authority and confidence with which they batted. Pant looked at ease, never looked in trouble or under pressure. It’s like he knew the final destination and could foresee how they would chase it down.
Soon after, phrases of high praise were being hurled at the youngsters; especially at Pant. A mesmerized Suresh Raina consoled Pant for missing on probably the most well-deserved T20 hundred; congratulatory messages started pouring in as well; yet, amid all this, it was the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s Tweet that must go down as the most special one for one of the most special knocks we have seen in T20 Cricket. The fact that the former legendary batsman, often referred to as the most loved Cricketer ever, specifically mentioned the knock as being one of the best of all 10 seasons, just goes on to show how extraordinary Pant’s effort was! We are sure Pant must be delighted.
One of the best Innings I have seen in the IPL & that includes all 10 seasons. @RishabPant777 pic.twitter.com/SGv3YuXwJ5
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 4, 2017
