If there were any doubts about Rishabh Pant's inclusion in the 15-man India squad that will travel to the USA and the Caribbean for the 2024 T20 World Cup in June, they have been put away in some fashion by the southpaw.
The Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper walked in at the fall of the third wicket in the final over of the powerplay, with the team reeling at 44-3 after 5.4 overs.
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Pant was cautious at the start, but switched gears gradually before completely blowing away the Gujarat Titans (GT) bowling lineup in the final five overs.
He stitched an innings-reviving 113-run stand for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel, before going berserk with the arrival of Tristan Stubbs to the crease.
Pant finished the innings on 88 not out off just 43 balls, with his last 17 balls accounting for 54 runs. DC ended the innings on 224-4, with 97 runs coming in the last five overs.
The innings saw Pant climb to third place in the Orange Cap list with 342 runs in nine innings, only behind Ruturaj Gaikwad's tally of 349 runs and Virat Kohli's 379 runs.
Fans immediately took to social media, clamouring for the inclusion of the 26-year-old in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.
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'Spiderman is well and truly back' - Fans react to Rishabh Pant's blistering knock
Fans immediately took to social media to vouch for Pant's selection for the T20 World Cup. Pant was involved in a fatal car accident on December 30, 2022, which saw him miss almost 15 months of competitive cricket.
He returned to IPL 2024 without any match practice, although he was cleared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
His form at the moment, though, suggests that he was never away from the game.
Here are some of the best fan reactions on X (formerly Twitter):
31 runs from an over.
— Random Guy (@therandomguy_05) April 24, 2024
Rishabh pant is madman 👑
Made a clear statement about worldcup. #DCvGT #GTvsDC #RishabhPant #Pant #ShubhmanGill #DC pic.twitter.com/6tf0lEpQqW
Rishabh Tabad Tod pant 👏🏻👏🏻
— Raushan Prasad (@RaushanPrasad07) April 24, 2024
Well played Champ #RishabhPant
Sanju And pant ko le jao worldcup 💗#DCvGT
LADIES & GENTLEMEN ATTENTION:
— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) April 24, 2024
- RISHABH PANT IS COMING FOR T20 WORLD CUP 2024...!!!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4VFAVZKhPa
People even debating who will be India’s WK going into the world cup when #RishabhPant is fit are 🤡. As for the stats debate, his sheer gift and talent overshadows it. #Spiderman is well and truly back. pic.twitter.com/1LbjrrPHpK
— Saps Halder 🔆 (@saptarshihalder) April 24, 2024
RISHABH PANT IS READY TO ROAR IN WORLD CUP 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1gfczoC4zN
— Til wali Kanya🌼🇮🇳 (@UPkiKanyaaa) April 24, 2024
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