Rishabh Pant's keeping is improving, his captaincy is becoming very sharp, says DC bowling coach James Hopes

Delhi Capitals (DC) annihilated Gujarat Titans (GT) on Wednesday, April 17 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad as they dismissed the former champions for 89 before successfully chasing the paltry total with six wickets and 11.1 overs to spare. Rishabh Pant stood out with his captaincy and wicketkeeping skills in the first innings before taking his team home with an unbeaten 11-ball 16 in the second.

Earlier in the day, Pant won the toss and elected to field first. The decision proved to be immensely beneficial as Ishant Sharma and Mukesh Kumar wreaked havoc at the top. The Titans lost four wickets inside the first five overs and never really recovered. Pant's immaculate bowling changes and field placements paid dividends as he choked the hosts' flamboyant batting department commendably.

The 26-year-old was also prolific behind the stumps as he took a stunning catch to get rid of the dangerous David Miller off Ishant's bowling. He was equally impressive with his glovework to the spinners as he affected the crucial stumpings of Abhinav Manohar and Shahrukh Khan off Tristan Stubbs' bowling in the ninth over. Pant didn't allow the intensity of his team to drop after having the Titans on the mat as the Delhi-based franchise blew away the Shubman Gill-led side for the lowest team total of the season.

Also Read: GT vs DC: Rishabh Pant grabs one hand stunner to dismiss David Miller - Watch

After the match, Delhi's bowling coach, James Hopes, lavished praise on Pant and said that his absence last season was a void too big to fill. The former Australian all-rounder noted that the southpaw is improving in every aspect of his game.

"Pant's keeping, it's pretty good. Ain't it? Last year, we tried really hard to cover that gap. But it's very hard to cover a world-class keeper, if not the best wicketkeeper-batter in the world. Now that he is back, you can just see everything about his game, his keeping is improving, his captaincy is becoming very sharp, his batting has been pretty good from the start of the tournament," Hopes was quoted as saying by India Today.

"He is rounding into some pretty good form for the back half of the tournament. And he is leading pretty well at the moment," he added.

Pant was rewarded for his all-round show as he won the Player of the Match award. He missed last year's IPL after encountering a near-fatal car accident in December 2022. However, since his return to competitive cricket in IPL 2024, the charismatic cricketer has played some fine knocks for the Capitals and has also led the team from the front.

Delhi Capitals set to return to Arun Jaitley Stadium

The Capitals have played seven matches so far and have won three and lost four. They have played only a couple of home games so far this season and they were held in Visakhapatnam. However, the team is set to return to their regular home ground, Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, for the remainder of their home fixtures, starting with the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, April 20.

Also Read: Rishabh Pant reveals Delhi Capitals' process for better results

The Capitals will be playing three home games on the trot. Hopes is looking forward to bagging some crucial points during their upcoming stretch of home games as Pant and Co. look to stay within contention for a playoff berth.

"We are halfway through now. We spoke, leading into the game, that a win tonight, will put us onto the table. And we also got a good week-and-half for us, with three home games in Delhi. We are running into the freight train, the next game which is SRH. We are already preparing for that. If we have a good week-and-a-half, then we are going to be right around that top 4," Hopes said.