IPL 2023: Told Rishabh that one-handed six I hit was for him, says DC vice-captain Axar after loss to GT at first home game in 4 years

New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): Following his side’s first home game at Arun Jaitley Stadium in four years, Delhi Capitals vice-captain Axar Patel said that he told the team’s regular skipper Rishabh Pant, currently recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident last year, that the one-handed-six he hit was for him and it was great to meet the wicketkeeper-batter in the dressing room. Axar also expressed hope that Pant recovers soon so that they can both hit one-handed shots together.

Delhi Capitals fought their hearts out, but went down by six wickets against Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2023 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday. The Gujarat Titans restricted the Delhi side to 162/8 in their 20 overs before chasing down the total in 18.1 overs. Pant was also present at the venue and enjoyed the match.
When asked about his one-handed six, a shot that Pant has played numerous times, the all-rounder said as quoted by a press release from DC, “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,” he added.

Speaking about playing at Delhi Capitals’ home ground for the first time in four years, the DC Vice-Captain Axar Patel said, “It was disappointing to be on the wrong side of the result. But, it was great to play in front of our fans after a long time. I hope the fans enjoyed the game. Hopefully, we’ll perform well in the rest of our home games.”

Axar added that the Delhi side will take some time to gel together as a unit,

“It is still early days in the tournament. I do not think we need to work on too many aspects of our game. We are playing together after a long time so we’ll take some time to gel together as a unit. Once our combinations start working, then it will get better for us,” said the vice-captain.

Coming to the match, knocks from skipper David Warner (37 off 32 balls), Sarfaraz Khan (30 off 34 balls) and a late cameo from Axar (36 off 22 balls) took DC to a modest total of 162/8. The home side lost wickets at regular intervals. Rashid Khan (3/31) and Mohammed Shami (3/41) were the pick of GT bowlers and troubled DC’s top and middle order.

In chase of 163, GT lost some early wickets and was reduced to 54/3 in the powerplay. A 53-run stand for the fourth wicket between Vijay Shankar (29) and Sai Sudarshan helped GT come back into the game. Eventually, Sudarshan, who scored 62* off 48 balls with four boundaries and two sixes, joined forces with David Miller (31* off 16 balls with two fours and two sixes) to guide his side to a win.

Anrich Nortje (2/39) was the leading bowler for DC.

Sudarshan’s knock earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ title.

The Delhi Capitals will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Saturday.