Rizvi backed his instincts and repaid the faith of the team management.
| Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY
Even in the era of modern T20 cricket, where roles are amorphous and benchmarks are constantly shifting, clarity has a stabilising effect.
At the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, on Wednesday (April 2, 2026), with chaos roiling around him, 22-year-old Sameer Rizvi came of age with an unbeaten 70 that guided Delhi Capitals to a six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants.
On a night when the opposition perilously tinkered with its batting line-up and botched up its Impact Player substitution before his own team was staring down the barrel at 26 for four in the fifth over while chasing 142, not many would have blamed the Meerut-born batter had he lost his way.
However, with the team management placing faith in him and backing his instincts, Rizvi, who came in as DC’s Impact Player, grabbed the opportunity.
“The coaches had already told me that I would bat at No. 4, and they told me they would back my natural positive game. I bat at No. 4 even for Uttar Pradesh and in the UPT20 League. If I get to bat there in the IPL, it is a huge opportunity for me. They have also given me the freedom to play my natural game, so that also gives me a lot of confidence,” Rizvi said after his match-winning knock.
With LSG’s pacers making the ball talk in seam-friendly conditions, Rizvi took nine deliveries to get off the mark. But he dispelled the notion that he would struggle against genuine pace and bounce by ramping Anrich Nortje for a six.
“I had not hit a single boundary until that point. I had already faced 12 to 13 balls. I felt that it was a loose ball, so I went after it. I got a lot of confidence from that shot. After that, I was relaxed and felt that we could continue playing normal cricket,” Rizvi explained.
Published – April 02, 2026 11:48 pm IST
