Rishabh Pant has grown in last four months & will do a good job as DC skipper: Brian Lara

India and Delhi Capital wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was handed over the franchise’s captaincy after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer got injured ahead of the IPL 2021 and was ruled out of the tournament.

Former West Indies batsman Brian Lara feels that the left-handed batsman has improved in the last three-four months and would do a good job in leading DC.

“Around 6 months of international cricket for him (Pant) one against Australia and here against England. Now he (Pant) is responsible for the captaincy because of injury,” Lara, said on Star Sports’ Select Dugout show.

DC were without the services of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Axar Patel in their last outing. “Plus, he doesn’t have the services of (Anrich) Nortje, (Kagiso) Rabada, and Axar Patel. So, they are asking a lot of him,” Lara said.

“I think he has got a team that will support him which is most important. He has grown in the last 4 months and I think he will do a good job,” he added.

The Capitals side had a good start to the tournament after they defeated Chennai Super Kings in the first match by 7 wickets while chasing 189 in 20 overs in Mumbai. Openers Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan continued form and struck individual fifties. Earlier, CSK rode on Suresh Raina’s 36-ball 54 and a late surge from Sam Curran who notched up 34* off 15 deliveries to post 188/7 in 20 overs.

DC will now play Rajasthan Royals on April 15 in Mumbai.

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Babar Azam replaces Virat Kohli as No.1 ODI batsman in ICC Rankings

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has replaced India skipper Virat Kohli to become the No.1 batsman in the ODI rankings. The right-handed-handed batsman who has been in some good form in the recent past has 865 points to his name while Kohli has 857 points. India’s limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma is at number three with 825 points. In the recent three-match ODI series against South Africa, Babar scored a century and a half-century along with a 31 during the course. In 80 ODIs that Babar has played for Pakistan, he has scored over 3800 runs at an average of 56.83 including 13 tons and 17 half-centuries.

Devdutt Padikkal likely to play against SRH: Mike Hesson

Royal Challengers Bangalore Director of Cricket Mike Hesson has said that opener Devdutt Padikkal is likely to play against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Wednesday. "Devdutt Padikkal has come back nicely, he will be fully fit so he will be considered for the game against SunRisers, and most likely, he will play. Finn Allen has come out of quarantine and looks in great touch, we would have Zampa and Richardson back heading into the next game as well, they will get out the day of the game," Hesson said in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB. Padikkal had earlier tested positive for COVID-19 and had isolated himself at home. The left-handed opener began his IPL career with the franchise last year and scored 473 runs in 15 matches. RCB had a positive start to the IPL 2021 campaign after they defeated Mumbai Indians in a nail-biter. The Bangalore side restricted MI to 159/9 in 20 overs, courtesy a five-wicket haul from Harshal Patel and then began the chase in a decent manner after captain Virat Kohli and Washington Sundar put 36 runs for the first wicket on the board in 4.2 overs. The Kohli-led side later lost a few wickets at regular intervals to get pushed on the back foot before AB de Villiers came in for the rescue and struck a 27-ball 48 for them. RCB eventually won the match by two wickets on the last ball of the match.

We are definitely disappointed but there is a lot to learn: Andre Russell

Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a 10-run defeat against Mumbai Indians in Chennai on Monday despite starting off the 153-run chase in a brilliant manner. The youngsters Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill put 72 runs on the board for the first wicket before Gill departed for 33. Rana continued with his form and scored second fifty on the trot in the tournament. But KKR lost wickets in quick succession in the middle and death overs to go on the backfoot and were eventually restricted to 142/7 in 20 overs. All-rounder Andre Russell who bagged a fifer in the match for KKR said that there is disappointment but the team can learn a lot from this defeat. "Yeah, I support that (Shah Rukh Khan) tweet but at the end of the day the game of cricket... you are not sure until it's over. I think we are still confident, we still played some good cricket and I am proud of the boys. You know, we are definitely disappointed but it's not the end of the road, it's only the second game and we are going to learn from it," Russell said in the virtual post-match press conference. Talking about the fall of wickets, Russell said that in a T20 game, a team can begin the proceedings well but lose momentum if there is a flurry of dismissals. "I just think it's a game of cricket. I have played hundreds of T20 games and I have seen games where teams cruise in on the driver's seat and then suddenly lose a few wickets, new batters come in and struggle to get away and that's what happened tonight," he added. KKR will face RCB on April 18 in Chennai in their next assignment.

Had the confidence that I could be the game changer: Rahul Chahar

Mumbai Indians leg-spinner Rahul Chahar turned the fortunes for the team against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday in Chennai after he bagged a four-wicket haul to anchor the side to a win. The KKR side were cruising towards the target of 153 that was set by Mi at one stage when Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill scored 72 runs for the first wicket. But the introduction of Chahar in the bowling attack changed the course of the match completely as he picked up four crucial wickets which included Rana, Gill, Rahul Tripathi and captain Eoin Morgan. The leggie credited skipper Rohit Sharma for his performance. “… he (Rohit) told me “bowl with confidence… you’re bowling well, sometimes even I’m not able to understand (your variations in the nets). They (KKR batters) would also feel the same way. Just keep your focus, bowl in good length and try to get spin’,” Chahar said in the virtual press-conference. “I knew if there was someone who could be the gamechanger in such a match, it was the spinners. I always had the confidence.” Chasing 153, KKR had a perfect start to the proceedings but lost momentum in the death overs to get restricted to 142/7 in 20 overs and suffer a defeat by 10 runs. While Chahar picked up four, left-arm pacer Trent Boult also scalped a couple of wickets during the course. Earlier, after batting first MI were bundled out for 152 in 20 overs. Suryakumar Yadav notched up a half-century for the Mumbai side while Andre Russell picked up a fifer. MI will now play SRH on April 17 while KKR will face RCB on April 18 in Chennai.