• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Ipl 2021 Rishabh Pant Hoping To Use The Learnings From Ms Dhoni In A Bid To Outstage Him

IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant hoping to use the learnings from MS Dhoni in a bid to outstage him

Newly-appointed Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant cannot wait for his captaincy stint to start especially due to the fact that his first match as a captain will be against his childhood idol Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings play their first match on 10th April at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Pant who was elevated as the DC skipper is hoping to use “learnings” from Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a bid to upstage him in their opening match of the competition. 

 

“My first match as captain will be against Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai. It will be a good experience for me as I have learned a lot from him. I have my own experience as a player as well. I’ll apply my own experience and the learnings from MS Dhoni, and try to do something different against CSK,” Pant was quoted as saying in a press release by the Delhi Capitals. 

 

Pant had a forgettable time with the bat during the previous edition of the Indian Premier League. With the lockdown and players not able to practice much, Pant gained a lot of weight which affected his batting quite a lot. He was nowhere close to the same Rishabh Pant which we had seen in the previous seasons. However, he made a commendable comeback in the tour to Australia where he played a couple of series changing knocks. 

 

He played a sensational knock in the fourth and the final Test in Gabba which resulted in a historic series win for India Down-Under. He went from strength to strength and was at his stupendous best during the Test series against England. He smashed his first Test century at home and some of his shots oozed class and confidence. The southpaw had a great time with the bat in the limited-overs series as well and he will surely look to take the confidence to the IPL and hope to lead DC to their first IPL title. 


“I am looking forward to making most of this opportunity. We haven’t won a title yet and I will try my level best to get a title this year. We’ve been playing nicely as a team for last two-three years and our preparations are going on well. Everyone looks in a great frame of mind. Everyone is giving their 100 per cent and is happy in the team environment, and that’s what you want as a Captain,” Pant said. 


 

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is the current head coach of the Delhi Capitals. Speaking on his influence in the team, Pant said that his presence always boosts the team to go and perform. He hopes to win the title with the help of Ponting and the whole team. 

 

“He (Ricky) has been so amazing for us in the last two-three years. He brings energy to the team and as a player when you see your coach and you’re thinking this is the man from whom you can learn a lot, then nothing is better than that. Hopefully, we will cross the line this year, with the help of Ricky and the whole team.”

Discover more
Top Stories
news

Warwickshire complete signing of Hanuma Vihari

India’s middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari has joined English county Warwickshire for the upcoming first-class season. The 27-year-old would most likely be a part of at least three games for the Birmingham based side. "Yes, Vihari will be playing in the English county side for Warwickshire this season. He would play a few games. He is in England now," Sportstar quoted a senior BCCI official as saying. As the contract is still being finalised, the official announcement from the County has not come yet. With Vohari already having left for England, it is most likely that within a day or two the announcement would be made. An integral part of the Indian Test set-up, the Andhra batsman is looking to sharpen his skills ahead of the all-important World Test Championship and a full-fledged tour of England. Vihari, who has scored 624 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 32.84, was last seen in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. He last international innings is hailed as one of the best fighting knocks by an Indian on foreign soil which came in Sydney where he and Ravichandran Ashwin batted on for more than 400 deliveries to draw a crucial Test match. Vihari got injured in that very game and to gain full fitness and match practice he has decided to pursue a county stint as he was not picked by any franchise in the IPL. "With a curtailed domestic season this time and Vihari being a part of the Test side, he needs match practice. All his other Test colleagues are part of IPL teams, including Cheteshwar (Pujara). Even if it's white-ball games, they will be fit and match-ready," the BCCI source added about Vihari.

news

The Hundred: Sarah Taylor joins Welsh fire, makes comeback after two-year break

Former England Women’s star cricketer Sarah Taylor has decided to make a comeback to competitive cricket as she joined Welsh Fire one of the eight franchise teams of The Hundred Women’s competition. "There has been a real buzz about The Hundred, and especially the women’s competition. We’ve got the best players from around the world involved and the temptation to be part of it was too great to resist,” Taylor was quoted as saying in Wales Cricket Board’s press release. Taylor, 31 had quit all forms of competitive cricket in 2019 citing that anxiety issues plaguing her personally. Back then she had said, “This has been a tough decision but I know it’s the right one, for me and for my health moving forward. I am extremely proud of my career.” Now, excited to play, Sarah wishes that Welsh Fire which play their first game against Northern Superchargers at Headingley, Leeds on July 24 could have a great first season. Commenting on the two times World Cup winner’s comeback to cricket, Beth Barrett-Wild, head of The Hundred Women’s competition said, "Sarah Taylor is a truly extraordinary cricketer, who has made a habit of breaking new ground in the game throughout her career.” “It’s highly appropriate therefore that she will feature in The Hundred this summer – a competition which has the potential to transform women’s cricket,” she added. The London born Taylor is one of the finest wicket-keeper batters to have ever graced women’s cricket. She has the second-highest number of dismissals in both ODIs and T20Is with the joint highest number of stumpings in both formats. In ODIs, she has 51 stumpings, equal to India’s Anju Jain while in T20Is too she has 51 stumpings, equal to Australia’s Alyssa Healy. Overall she has the most number stumpings for any women’s cricketer, all formats combined. The tally sits at 104, way ahead of Healy’s 74. Sarah also has to her kitty, 6533 runs, once again the most for any wicket-keeper batter in women’s game.