'You Can't Keep Complaining': Rishabh Pant's Stirring 'Think Like Champions' Pep Talk to DC Boys

Jake Fraser-McGurk smashed a half-century on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut as Delhi Capitals (DC) thrashed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Fraser-McGurk shared a 77-run partnership for the third wicket with captain Rishabh Pant (41) to help Delhi overhaul Lucknow’s 167/7 with 11 balls to spare.

Delhi moved to ninth in the 10-team contest after registering only their second victory from six outings. Lucknow, who came into the match with three wins out of four, are now placed fourth.

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Understandably, Pant was a relieved man after the match as he highlighted the importance of the win.

“Little relief, we wanted a win badly,” Pant said after the match. “I was talking to the boys saying we need to think like champions, we need to keep fighting hard/”

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Returning to the side after missing three matches due to a groin niggle, Kuldeep  Yadav picked up three wickets while giving away 20 runs and conceding no boundaries in his quota of four overs.

His victims included LSG skipper KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis and the dangerous Nicholas Pooran.

Khaleel Ahmed (2/41), who landed the early blow, Ishant Sharma (1/36) and Mukesh Kumar (1/41) also chipped in.

Lauding his bowlers Pant added even they have not been up to the mark and wants individuals to to take responsibility.

“We have phases where we are not up to the mark, some individuals have to take responsibility for that. However, we stick together as a group. Some things you can control, some things we can’t,” Pant said.

At the toss Pant had said that DC are still trying out new faces in order to find the perfect combination. After the win, he said the team is ‘getting closer’.

“I think we are getting closer to the right XI, but we’ve had so many injuries in this group. However, you can’t keep complaining about that,” Pant said.

When asked about DC’s new 22-year-old Australian Fraser-McGurk, who is known for his aggressive approach, Pant hoped he builds on the promise.

“Hopefully, we’ve found our new number 3, haven’t thought too much about it. Hope he can continue,” Pant said.

(With inputs from Agencies)