"Big match player" - Twitterati heaps praise on Rishabh Pant for his matured match-defining knock in Qualifier 1 against CSK

Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant(51 in 35 balls) played a mature knock to shepherd his side to a decent first innings total of 172/5 in Qualifier 1 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

He received able support from Shimron Hetmyer(37) in the middle order. The attacking left-handed duo stitched a wonderful 83-run partnership for the fifth wicket after a mini-collapse in the middle overs.

Earlier, Prithvi Shaw(60 in 34 balls) scored a scintillating half-century to set up a solid platform for Delhi in the first half of their innings. But Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and Shikhar Dhawan departed cheaply to put DC in a spot of bother.

Rishabh Pant and Hetmyer joined hands after that and took their side to a decent position by playing an attacking brand of cricket.

Fans were in awe of the maturity shown by Rishabh Pant during the innings as he took the game deep and eventually provided a strong finish for the Delhi side. They took to Twitter to heap praise on the young wicketkeeper-batter for his splendid knock.

Here are some of the best reactions:

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We could have used the big boundary a bit better today: Josh Hazlewood

CSK pacer Josh Hazlewood(2/29) reckoned that they could have used the dimensions a bit better today to restrict the big-hitting DC batters.

Speaking to the broadcaster during the mid-innings break, Josh Hazlewood reviewed the first innings and said:

"It is the par score for this wicket. It seemed like slowing down but towards the end, it got better. We could have used the big boundary a bit better today. All in all, it is probably a par score.

"It is just about reading the play and putting in the practice efforts here in the middle. It's about implementing at the right time and executing. The Test match length can work at certain times in T20s as well."

He added:

"It was pretty sweaty out there. I think a bit of dew is starting to come down now. The ball seems to be coming on nicely. Hopefully, it will suit us when we bat."

Delhi Capitals have a strong bowling line-up. It will be interesting to see how the chase unfolds in the second innings.

The winner of today's contest will advance directly to the final. Due to this, both teams will fight valiantly in the second innings to secure safe passage to the finals.