Mohali: Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant, who made a comeback to competitive cricket after 16 months, was seen disappointed after losing his wicket in the campaign opener clash against Punjab Kings at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday.
Pant made 18 runs off 13 balls, including two fours before giving a simple catch at fine leg in a try of playing the uppercut on a short-pitch delivery bowled by right-arm pacer Harshal Patel. He was then seen disappointed with himself for playing a false shot and failing to make an impact on the game in his comeback game.
The southpaw batter punches the palm of his other hand in frustration and one can see the disappointment on his face in a video that has gone viral over the internet after the match. Sitting beside the head coach Ricky Ponting, he almost punched the former's knee in an aggressive gesture. Ponting knew from where it came, as he had always been like a tough taskmaster on the field during his days in Australia, and tried to console him.
Meanwhile, the Southpaw batter received a standing ovation from the crowd present in the stadium for his stupendous comeback to cricket.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, the 26-year-old said, "I was pretty nervous (while batting), but you have to go through this when you enter the field. This isn't the first time being nervous, but happy about that (return overall)."
Coming to the match, English all-rounder Sam Curran's counterattacking half-century powered Punjab Kings to a four-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) opener. Curran scored a brisk 63-run and got excellent support from compatriot Liam Livingstone (38 not out off 21 balls), as Punjab completed a chase of 175 with four balls to spare. This was after the returning Pant failed to set the stage on fire as Punjab Kings rallied to stop Delhi Capitals at 174 for nine.
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