Rishabh Pant happy to succeed with MS Dhoni

Rishabh Pant happy to succeed with MS Dhoni

New Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant said on Saturday that dating Mahendra Singh Dhoni to launch his first IPL match was a special moment for him, as the Chennai Super Kings talisman has been his “man of reference” .

Chasing 189 for victory, DC jumped to a seven-wicket win with eight balls to spare after Shikhar Dhawan (85) and Prithvi Shaw (72) hit half a century.

“Actually, it was special for me to be a captain in IPL and to go on the air with MS. I learned from him and he is my go-to man, ”Pant said at the post-match presentation ceremony here.

The likes of Chris Woakes and Avesh Khan made sure DC didn’t miss out on their first-choice rhythm duo of Kagiso Rabada and Andre Nortje, who are serving their quarantine.

“It was good, once you win the game everything is fine. In the middle phase, I was under pressure, but good work from Avesh and the bowlers.

“We were thinking about what we would do without Nortje and Rabada and I thought we had to do with the options we have.

“We think that whatever we have, we have to fix this and put the best XI playing. We just wanted to finish the game before one finished, we didn’t think about race pace. ”

Pant also praised the inaugural duo of Dhawan and Shaw.

“Prithvi and Shikhar did a good job for us in the power play. They kept it simple and sought limits. ”

Man of the match Dhawan stressed the need for a good start and praised his junior teammate Shaw.

“Prithvi was hitting really well. He continued in his Vijay Hazare form. It was important to start off right because we were chasing a grand total. I have a few takes to innovate and I enjoy tackling challenges. I was playing the ball close to the body, ”said Dhawan.

“The wicket was a bit sticky. He knew my game plan. It is tremendous to see Prithvi. He played some effortless shots. Very good and very happy for him, as he did not have a good IPL last time. ”

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