IPL 2021: “I will be making the changes in the field directly” – Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has sounded confident ahead of his captaincy debut in the IPL on Saturday. The explosive batsman has said that being a wicketkeeper should help him make a seamless transition to captaincy.

At 23, Rishabh Pant is the youngest captain in IPL 2021. It is also the first time he will lead the Delhi Capitals, who made it to the final last year.

Speaking ahead of Delhi Capitals’ first game of the season, Rishabh Pant said that he would look to keep things simple.

"I haven't thought about the fact that it's my first match as captain in the IPL. I am just going to keep things simple and give my 100%. You get a good idea about setting fields as a wicketkeeper and now as captain, I will be making the changes in the field directly. So, there's not going to be much of a difference for me," said Rishabh Pant.

📹 | Ladies and gentlemen, we've got your skipper @RishabhPant17 and Head Coach @RickyPonting with everything you need to know ahead of our season opener tomorrow 💙#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 #CapitalsUnplugged #CSKvDC @OctaFx @TajMahalMumbai pic.twitter.com/WzONaJsGMh

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 9, 2021

Rishabh Pant’s first assignment will be against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. Pant has professed his admiration for MS Dhoni in the past, so it will be interesting to see which wicketkeeping captain comes out on top on Saturday.

Rishabh Pant set to take help from DC’s leadership group

We all have that one friend who is the first pick when it comes to dancing🕺🏻😋Tag the @ajinkyarahane88 of your group 👇🏻#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 @ashwinravi99 @RishabhPant17 @reliancejio @TajMahalMumbai pic.twitter.com/MmPiCqdtno

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 8, 2021

While Rishabh Pant is the captain, the Delhi Capitals have an embarrassment of experienced campaigners in their ranks. Players like Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin have led IPL sides in the past.

Rishabh Pant has said that he has been in touch with the trio ahead of his captaincy debut.

“I have been talking to the senior players like Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane about the fields we can set and other strategic decisions for the team," said Pant.

Off the field, Rishabh Pant has the luxury of relying on Ricky Ponting, one of the finest batsmen of his time. Looking forward to a fruitful partnership with Ponting, the explosive left-hander said:

"I have been talking to Ricky and our bowling coach James Hopes as well. There's a good mix of seniors and juniors in our squad, and I think with the help of Ricky, we can do something different this year,” concluded Pant.

It could be a baptism by fire for Rishabh Pant as DC open their IPL 2021 campaign against Dhoni's CSK.