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Pant's heroics light up the sky, but Sunrisers' resolve prevails in IPL drama, leaving fans breathless and hearts broken!
The 10th of May, 2018, was a night of fire and ice at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. A young Rishabh Pant, with the fury of a dragon, blazed a trail with a record-breaking century. However, his heroics were ultimately doused by the cool and collected batting of Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson, who steered Sunrisers Hyderabad to a comfortable nine-wicket victory.
Delhi Daredevils, as they were known then, were sent reeling early on by the crafty bowling of Shakib Al Hasan. The Bangladeshi all-rounder exploited a slow Delhi track, spinning a web that trapped both Prithvi Shaw (9) and Jason Roy (11) and dismissed them off successive deliveries. The scorecard read a precarious 2 for 2, and the home crowd fell silent.
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Pantastic mode on
Enter Rishabh Pant, a young firebrand with a point to prove. He wasn't fazed by the early wickets, instead choosing to turn up the heat. A sizzling hat-trick of boundaries off Siddarth Kaul served as a warning shot to the Sunrisers bowling attack. Pant was on a mission, and there was no stopping him.
However, despite his explosive batting, Delhi's innings were plagued by a recurring nightmare: run-outs. Pant, known for his aggressive batting, was involved in two mix-ups, first with Shreyas Iyer (3) and then with Harshal Patel (24). These dismissals, the fourth such instance involving Pant in as many games, threatened to derail the Delhi juggernaut.
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Pant celebrating his ton
The run-out of Harshal Patel seemed to be a turning point for Pant. His frustration boiled over, transforming into a blistering display of power-hitting. The first ball he faced after the dismissal was dispatched over the mid-wicket fence in a symbolic act of defiance. His fifty came off a mere 36 balls, and he barely broke a sweat, reaching his century off just 20 more deliveries.
He took particular delight in taking apart Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the usually reliable Sunrisers pacer, smashing him for three sixes over a short third man in a single over. Even Glenn Maxwell, a master of unorthodox strokeplay himself, could only watch in awe as Pant tore apart the bowling attack.
Despite Pant's heroics, the target of 188 runs, while challenging, wasn't insurmountable. Conventional wisdom suggests that batting first would put pressure on the chasing side. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad had other plans. They lost Alex Hales (14) early, but the experienced duo of Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson took control of the chase from the get-go.
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Pant with Dhawan and Williamson after the match
Dhawan, returning from an elbow injury, looked like a man on a mission. He feasted on anything short and wide outside off-stump, while Williamson played the anchor role, expertly manoeuvring the ball into gaps and punishing any bad deliveries. Dhawan reached his fifty off a mere 30 balls, while Williamson followed suit three overs later.
The bowling attack, despite throwing in a variety of slower balls and leg-breaks, couldn't find a way to break the shackles of the partnership. The match ended with Sunrisers Hyderabad securing a comfortable nine-wicket victory with seven balls to spare.
Delhi Daredevils 187/5 (Pant 128*, Iyer 22, Shakib 2/27)
Sunrisers Hyderabad 191/1 (Dhawan 92*, Williamson 83*, Harshal 1/21)
