"There should never be any doubt about his place in 11 for india in world cup" - Fans hail Rishabh Pant for sensational knock vs GT in IPL 2024

Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant went ballistic with the bat against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in a crucial encounter of IPL 2024 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 24.

After being asked to bat first, DC were in early trouble at 44/3 in the sixth over when Pant walked into bat. The 26-year-old produced a vintage knock, finishing unbeaten on 88 from 43 deliveries with five boundaries and eight maximums.

Pant was especially severe on veteran pacer Mohit Sharma, taking him down with four maximums and a boundary of 31-run final over. After missing the last 15 months with an injury due to his unfortunate car accident, the DC skipper has returned in style this IPL.

Rishabh Pant is currently third on the Orange Cap list with 342 runs at an average of 48.85 and a strike rate of 161.32 in nine games.

Fans on Twitter were in awe of his exploits in a virtual must-win game for DC and reserved special praise.

Here are some of the best reactions:

The fans' appreciation continued for Pant with one user saying:

"Three fifty from 9 innings by Captain Rishabh Pant, incredible knock under huge pressure, he is back with a bang."

"Can't take one's eyes off Pant. Cricket has missed him for sure," a fan tweeted.

"Dhoni was never this much good. Surely Rishabh pant is greatest wicket keeper batsman from India," said a fan.

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Rishabh Pant's demolition act took DC to a massive total

Thanks to Rishabh Pant's breathtaking knock, DC finished their innings with a massive total of 224/4 in 20 overs.

The southpaw received terrific support from all-rounder Axar Patel, who surprisingly walked in at No.3 and scored a well-paced 43-ball 66. The duo added an incredible 113 off 68 balls for the fourth wicket to add impetus to the DC innings.

Almost all the bowlers except Sandeep Warrier (3/15) traveled the distance, with Mohit Sharma finishing at 0/73 in four overs, which became the most expensive figures in IPL history.

The game is crucial for both teams to make a playoff push at the business end of the tournament. While GT is on four wins from eight games, DC has won only three out of their eight outings.

Despite being eighth on the points table currently, a victory in the ongoing encounter will likely see them at least jump to the sixth spot.

GT has just begun their run-chase at 9/0 after the first over.