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Delhi Capitals (DC) suffered a six-wicket defeat at the hands of defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 clash on Tuesday (April 4). This was DC's second loss of the IPL 2023 season as they lost their opening game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
It was DC's first home of the season which was played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in four years which was graced with the presence of a special guest Rishabh Pant. Still needing crutches to walk, Pant walked into the sitting area with the help of a couple of officials and met a few people with a heartwarming embrace. Pant, who met with a horrific car accident and picked up severe injuries in December 2022, is still on the road to recovery. Beside missing this year's IPL, Pant has been ruled out of all the major tournaments of 2023 including Asia Cup and ODI World Cup.
Meanwhile, following DC's hapless defeat, their vice-captain Axar Patel, who scored 36 off 22 balls riding on three sixes and two fours, met Pant in the dressing room and revealed a conversation with the star wicketkeeper-batter. Axar revealed that he made a special gesture for Pant and also said that it was great to meet him in the dressing room. Axar said that the one handed-six that he hit during the match against GT was for Pant. He also wished for Pant's speedy recovery so that they both can hit one-handed shots together.
"I did not plan the one-handed six. My bottom hand came off when I tried to extend my arms. Fortunately, I hit that ball for a six. And then I told Rishabh that the one-handed shot was for him. I was quite happy with my batting performance and I hope that I can keep performing well for Delhi Capitals. It was great to meet Rishabh in the dressing room. Players from the Gujarat team also came to meet him. Hopefully, he recovers soon and comes back to Qila Kotla. Then both of us can play one-handed shots," Axar said when asked about his one-handed six, a shot that Pant has played numerous times.
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Pant's presence in the stands did not affect the team's recent form. They lost the match by six wickets, in what was their second straight loss of the competition and their first at home since before the Covid-19 pandemic. In the previous game, DC lost to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
After being sent in to bat first, DC faltered with their batting and put up a score of 162 for the loss of eight wickets. Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan picked up three wickets each. But the Titans chased down the target with 11 balls to spare after Sai Sudharsan stayed unbeaten on 62 off 48 with four fours and two sixes.
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