Rishabh Pant leads Delhi to IPL win over Gujarat: ‘It’s great to play under Rahul Dravid’

Delhi Daredevils batsman Rishabh Pant. Punit Paranjpe / AFP

Gujarat Lions 149/7 (20/20 ov)

Delhi Daredevils 150/2 (17.2/20 ov)

Delhi Daredevils won by 8 wickets (with 16 balls remaining)

An inconsistent Gujarat Lions were no match for a well-oiled unit in the Delhi Daredevils as the latter inflicted an eight-wicket defeat over their hosts on Tuesday.

Gujarat fought back from three early setbacks at 24 for three to post 149 for seven but the Delhi top order had no problems adding another successful run chase this season.

Victory at Rajkot meant Delhi are in a three-way tie for second spot in the Indian Premier League table on 10 points, while leaders Gujarat have now lost two games on the trot at home.

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"It is disappointing," Gujarat captain Suresh Raina told StarSports. "We didn't bat well in the first six overs.

“That cost us the game. We chase well, but sometimes here you don’t really know how many runs to put up on the board.”

The think tank of Delhi borrowed the tactics of Kings XI Punjab captain Murali Vijay who masterminded Gujarat’s previous defeat by rotating the bowlers constantly.

That paid rich dividends as captain Zaheer Khan, coming on as the third bowler in the third over, bowled out the dangerous Brendon McCullum.

Shahbaz Nadeem had opened the bowling – another surprise move as the left-arm spinner was playing only his second game of the IPL and replacing Shreyas Iyer. He accounted for Dwayne Smith and Aaron Finch in the next over, his second, and suddenly Gujarat were on the back foot.

Suresh Raina (24) and Ravindra Jadeja (36 not out) lent support to Dinesh Karthik (53) but none of the batsmen broke free from the shackles of a disciplined bowling attack.

“A happy team is a winning team, that’s what you are seeing,” Zaheer said. “The focus is on giving everyone freedom to express themselves.”

The Delhi batting was a contrast to the way Gujarat batted with openers Rishabh Pant and Quinton de Kock putting on 115 runs in a rock-solid partnership.

Pant, 18, a crucial member of India’s team that finished runners-up at the ICC Under 19 World Cup early this year, took charge while the experienced De Kock (45) preferred to play second fiddle.

By the time Pant left, he had scored 69 from 40 balls, hitting two sixes on his way to becoming the second youngest to score a fifty in IPL history, surpassing Delhi teammate Sanju Samson.

Samson arrived after Pant’s departure and saw Delhi home with JP Duminy. Samson was stumped when on five but had a reprieve after TV replays showed that Jadeja had stepped over the line.

Pant said: “I am a youngster and it is great to receive the support of the seniors. It is great to play under Rahul Dravid.”

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