Rishabh Pant in action during Delhi Premier League© X (Twitter)
Indian cricket team wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant left everyone stunned as he bowled the final over of the Delhi Premier League match between Purani Dilli 6 and South Delhi Superstarz on Saturday. Pant has never bowled in an international match but he decided to try his hand at spin bowling with the Superstarz needing just 1 run to win the encounter. The video of Pant bowling quickly went viral on social media with many users connecting it to Gautam Gambhir's recent appointment as India head coach. Since Gambhir's appointment, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma have all bowled during the series against Sri Lanka.
Remarkable fifties from skipper Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya led the South Delhi Superstarz to a three-wicket victory over Purani Dilli 6 in the opening match of the inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League T20 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.
Rishabh pant bowlingpic.twitter.com/QvM7tFZLcu
—(@twitfrenzy_) August 17, 2024
Arpit Rana's 59 off 41 and Vansh Bedi's 47 off 19 helped Purani Dilli 6 put up 197/3 in 20 overs, before South Delhi Superstarz chased down the target in 19.1 overs.
In GG Era Every Batsamn And even Keeper Can Bowl.
— 🇮🇳Kim Jong OF Cricket(@kimjongofcrick) August 17, 2024
Pant is a Leg Spinner. pic.twitter.com/0HM0LH91QW
South Delhi Superstarz began their run chase of 198 runs at a blistering pace. They smashed as many as 73 runs in the Powerplay, thanks to the free-flowing strokes from opener Priyansh Arya and Sarthak Ray.
— CricStrick (@CricStrickAP) August 17, 2024
Ray, who hammered 41 off 26 balls, was caught and bowled by Shivam Sharma in the seventh over, while Arya reached his fifty off 27 balls in the 12th over. In the same over, skipper Ayush Badoni, who had started his innings cautiously, struck four consecutive sixes off Ankit Bhadana, taking the team's total to 140/1.
Arya was caught by Arpit Rana off Sharma in the following over after scoring 57 runs off 30 balls, including three fours and four sixes. Dhruv Singh (1 off 2) then fell cheaply to Prince Yadav, while Badoni reached his half-century off 25 balls in the 14th over, reducing the equation to 38 runs needed off 36 balls.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically as Purani Dilli 6 claimed four wickets in quick succession. Badoni (57 off 29) and Tejasvi (0 off 1) were dismissed in the 15th over, Kunwar Bidhuri (5 off 7) in the 17th over, and Sumit Mathur (9 off 10) fell in the 18th over, leaving South Delhi needing 13 runs off the last two overs.
Vision Panchal and Digvesh Rathi then displayed some resilience as they chased down the target with five balls to spare.
(With IANS inputs)