DC vs GT: After a brilliant 88*, T20 WC contender Rishabh Pant says he is relishing 'every hour on field'

Rishabh Pant-starrer Delhi Capitals (DC) edged past Gujarat Titans (GT) by four runs in a high-scoring thriller in match 40 of IPL 2024 on Wednesday (April 24). Playing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, GT opted to bowl first and conceded 224/4 thanks to DC captain Rishabh Pant scoring a splendid 43-ball 88*,along with Axar Patel's 66 (43).

In reply, GT were in the hunt courtesy of Wriddhiman Saha's 39, Sai Sudharsan's 65 and David Miller's 55 before Rashid Khan's unbeaten 21 almost led them to an improbable win. The one-time winners managed 220/8 as Pant was adjudged the Player-of-Match for his third fifty of the season (where he also smacked Mohit Sharma for 4 sixesin an over). The Delhi captain also pulled off two key dismissals behind the stumps.

Given that Pant has returned to competitive cricket after 14 months, after his horrific car crash in late 2022, the DC star player has been among runs and is now a strong contender for a berth in the T20 World Cup, to be held in West Indies and USA in June.

Pant has 342 runs in ninegames, third-most overall in the list of most runs in IPL 2024, and is leading the race for the wicketkeeper-batter's slot. After his knock, the southpawreflected on being on the field post a lengthy gap.

'The first six in the match gives me confidence in a game'

At the post-match presentations, Pant said, "Surely at 43/3, we wanted to just keep going and target their main spinners. If we get something, we will take it on and keep rotating the strike. Every day that I'm in the middle, I feel better. Every hour on the field matters, I love being on the field. I try to give it my 100% and it takes some time sometimes. I think the first six in the match gives me the confidence in a game. The more time I spend in the centre, the better I feel."

DC have now moved to the sixth spot with a narrow win over GT, completing a double over them as well in the ongoing edition. They will next host the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday (April 27) at the same venue and would hope to add two more points to their kitty.