Lucknow, April 1 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant lamented the defeat, pointing to the extra runs conceded as the decisive factor in their loss to Delhi Capitals, who chased down 142 with relative comfort after early hiccups, winning the match by six wickets.

“When you score 140, you try too much… if they play normal cricket, they win. A few extra wickets in the Power-play could have put them under pressure,” said Pant after the match.

The strategy of LSG revolved around the pace bowling attack from the onset; consequently, the four-pronged seam attack made it easy for them to force the Delhi Capitals to early on in their run chase of 142 runs.

The seamers created plenty of opportunity for movement right from the first ball, which proved too much for KL Rahul (0), who sliced a full outswinger delivery of Mohammad Shami to deep backwards point. Nitish Rana also struggled, managing a few boundaries from loose deliveries but generally failing to find his timing before edging a ball from Mohsin Khan to the keeper after a hesitant stay.

Prince Yadav was instrumental with the ball. After forcing Pathum Nissanka to play a top edge shot (which Rishabh Pant caught after running in at an angle and diving, thus causing him to collide with the fence), he then delivered the standout delivery of the Powerplay with one that swung late and hit Axar Patel’s stumps after he attempted to flick the ball away on a fuller delivery that had previously swung away from him.

Pant acknowledged that there was assistance for bowlers early on but felt his side failed to capitalise with the bat. “There was help with the new ball, but we couldn’t get a partnership going. When you don’t have enough runs, you are forced to make certain calls, like using a batter to bowl a bit,” he explained.

Reflecting on his own dismissal, Pant chose to move on quickly. “The best way to recover from it is to ignore it. You can’t control it, and thinking about it puts you on the back foot,” he said.

On the team’s batting approach and the role of Ayush Badoni, Pant emphasised flexibility and match-ups. “The idea was simple — he takes charge in the middle overs while I bat up the order. We wanted the left-right combination so they couldn’t settle with their left-arm spinner. I got out at the wrong time, Axar still had an over in the Power-play, which could have helped us,” he added.

Despite the loss, Pant saw positives and hinted at his role going forward. “Opening is a 50-50 call, but you’ll definitely see me in the top order,” he signed off.

–IANS

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