IPL 2022: We could have batted well, feels Delhi captain Rishabh Pant after loss against Gujarat | Cricket News – Times of India

PUNE: After getting defeated by Gujarat Titans in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 clash on Saturday, Delhi Capitals’ skipper Rishabh Pant said that the team could have batted well in the middle overs.
Shubman Gill’s 84-run knock and Lockie Ferguson’s four-wicket haul guide Gujarat to a 14-run win here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
“I think according to the wicket, that total was not so big. We could have batted well, especially in the middle overs. We lost three wickets in the powerplay and three in the middle (overs). I think every match is going to be hard after losing so many wickets,” said Pant in a post-match presentation.

“Depending on the weather conditions (we will decide to bat or bowl first), but we are not thinking about that now and we will see when we come back to Pune.
“When you lose, you feel heartbroken; but at the end of the day, if you keep improving and have a better environment, then people can perform in the next match,” he added.
Chasing a 172-run target Delhi did not get an ideal start as skipper Hardik Pandya dismissed Tim Seifert off the very first ball of his spell. In the fourth over, Ferguson was introduced into the attack and the Kiwi pacer struck twice, dismissing Prithvi Shaw for 10 and Mandeep Singh for 18, to leave Delhi tottering at 34/3.

Delhi needed a partnership. Captain Pant and Lalit Yadav did exactly that, taking the team’s total beyond the 50-run mark in the seventh over. The Pant-Yadav pair struck a fifty run partnership in just 34 balls.
The 61-run partnership was broken when Yadav was run out for 25 to leave Delhi at 95/4.
Rovman Powell joined his captain and Pant continued to bat aggressively; but Ferguson struck for his third wicket of the match to get the prized scalp of Pant for 43 from 29 balls. In the same over, the Kiwi pacer got his fourth wicket, dismissing all-rounder Axar Patel for 8, caught behind by keeper Matthew Wade, to leave Delhi in trouble at 126/6.

In the next over, Rashid Khan dismissed Shardul Thakur leg before wicket for 2.
In the 18th over, Mohammed Shami came back into the attack to strike two blows off consecutive balls to first dismiss Powell leg before wicket and then Khaleel Ahmed for a golden duck.
Delhi managed to score 157/9 in 20 overs, falling short by 14 runs as the Hardik-led Gujarat registered their second win in two matches so far this season.