‘Rishabh Pant is well and truly back’: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan

VISAKHAPATNAM: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that Rishabh Pant is “truly back” after the Delhi Capitals skipper entertained the Visakhapatnam crowd with his remarkable 51 against Chennai Super Kings.

In the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024, Pant created a feeling of nostalgia in the crowd as Pant made CSK bowlers dance to his tune.

In the 19th over, Pant created room for himself and manufactured a six off Matheesha Pathirana which was a vintage shot from the left-handed batter. He went on to score back-to-back fours on the next two deliveries and raised his bat high in the air to celebrate his victory.

His well-paced knock guided DC to a competitive total of 191/5.

“Rishabh Pant is well and truly back. Brilliant inning this,” Pathan wrote on X.

Rishabh Pant is well and truly back. Brilliant inning this. #DCvsCSK

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) March 31, 2024

Even Pant’s compatriot David Warner didn’t shy away from showering praise on his teammate during the mid-innings break.

“Probably what we have got is ideal, but 200 would have been fantastic. We lost two wickets in the middle and the way Rishabh came out and played was phenomenal. He (Prithvi) has been working very hard, and to see him hit cleanly was fantastic. Hard lengths into the wicket and off pace stuck and held on the pitch. We got to hit the stumps as much as we can, get the fields right and make sure we bowl to that,” Warner said.

Pant recently made his 100th appearance in the IPL during DC’s second game of the season against Rajasthan Royals.

DC Camp celebrated Pant’s 100th IPL game and gave him a special jersey with the number 100 imprinted on the back of it.

In this IPL, Pant made his comeback to professional cricket 14 months after recovering from injuries sustained in a road accident in 2022. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cleared the left-handed batter and declared him fit to participate in the 17th edition of the tournament. (ANI)