Pant boosts his World Cup hopes with keeping masterclass

NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant produced a wicketkeeping masterclass in Wednesday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) victory against Gujarat Titans to strengthen his claim on a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad.

Pant is playing his first tournament since suffering serious injuries in a car accident in December 2022 that kept him out of last year’s IPL as well as the 50-overs World Cup in India.

The 26-year-old’s batting has not been rusty on his return though and he is Delhi’s leading scorer with 210 runs from seven matches, including two fifties, this season. His glovework was equally impressive on Wednesday night as he took two catches, including a stunning grab to dismiss David Miller, and produced a couple of stumpings as Delhi bundled out Gujarat for 89. Pant then made 16 not out as Delhi cruised to the target inside nine overs en route to their third win in seven matches.