Rishabh Pant had the perfect answer for critics on Sunday after Lucknow Super Giants defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets. The LSG captain has been facing the heat lately due to his dip in form in T20s, which also saw him miss out on India’s T20 World Cup squad.
With LSG chasing 157 runs, Pant (68*) didn’t open the innings and arrived to bat at No. 3 when Mitchell Marsh (14) lost his wicket to Ehsan Malinga in the fifth over. On his arrival, LSG were at 37/1, and he started on a cautious note, letting Aiden Markram get the runs.
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But the LSG opener missed out on a half-century narrowly, departing for 45 off 27 balls in the 10th over. When Markram left, Pant was at 17* off 17 balls. Ayush Badoni (12) failed to stitch a partnership with him, leaving in the 13th over. Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran (1) was dismissed in a bizarre run-out in the next over.
After Pooran, Abdul Samad tried to stick with Pant as he began to counter-attack in the 16th over, hitting pacer Jaydev Unadkat for two fours. Then Samad contributed in the next over, taking on Malinga with two fours.
But Samad (16) lost his wicket in the next over, followed by Pant getting his half-century off 43 balls. In the final over, LSG needed nine off six balls, and Pant began with back-to-back overs, once against Unadkat. The SRH bowler responded with back-to-back dots, and then Pant hit him for another four as LSG won by five wickets.
‘I just let my bat do the talking’: Rishabh Pant
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Pant said, “We feel like, you know, only thing is there is never a perfect match. You know, you’ve got to be critical as a management, but at the same time, you’ve got to appreciate what’s happening inside. I think the only conversation is, you know, looking to, you know, execute the plan rather than feeling that I can do all this. Trust your preparation and just take on the game. You know, when you slack so well, like I said before, you’ve got to be critical, but at the same time, we are looking to learn as a team and get better every single match.”
Commenting on his batting, which has been criticised a lot lately in T20s, Pant revealed that he has been preparing well for the ongoing season. In the opener against DC, he opened the innings for LSG and was dismissed for seven off nine balls.
“You know, what has well is all well. You know, we always say that, but at the same time, you know, my focus personally, I’ve been preparing really well and giving my full commitment. You know, I just let my bat do the talking. I just don’t want to talk about that. I’ve been with the team and my management. So, you know, working hard and that’s all matters to me”, he added.
