Rishabh
Pant, captain of the Delhi Capitals, has been unable to capitalise on his
promising starts in the IPL 2022. The left-handed hitter has 281 runs scored in
11 games with a strike rate of 152.71. Despite being DC’s second biggest
run-getter, he has yet to hit a half-century. His scores have typically stayed
in the mid-20s and mid-30s. His performance has also been mirrored in DC’s
presentation. The franchise has won five of its eleven games and now sits fifth
in the standings.

With the
fight for the play-offs heating up, the Pant-led DC must pull up their socks
beginning with Wednesday’s encounter against the third-placed Rajasthan Royals.
Former Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri offers some words of wisdom
for 24-year-old Pant.

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Shastri said
on ESPNcricinfo’s ‘T20 Time Out’, “I feel once he gets the tempo going, he
shouldn’t change, he should be in the (Andre) Russell mould in this format of
the game.”

“You
get your eye in, you’re striking it well – don’t think too much. No matter who
the bowler is, if it’s there to be smacked, smack it. Who knows, you might win
more matches than people expect you to.”

Shastri
believes that what distinguishes Andre Russell, one of the most destructive
hitters in T20 cricket, is his clarity of mind, which will also benefit Pant,
who is capable of playing combative knocks.

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“Russell
is very, very clear in his mindset. It is bang-bang-bang once he’s in the mood.
There’s no stopping him, there’s not even a negative thought that will peep
through his system – it is (all about) smacking.

“Rishabh
is totally capable of playing in that fashion, and I hope he thinks in that way
because you’ll see some special innings from him in T20 cricket. He’s getting
off to starts and then getting out in a manner which he wouldn’t like, but I
don’t think he should change his tempo,” added Shastri.

The Capitals
have been without a strong finisher, and Pant has taken a cautious approach out
of a sense of responsibility. To make the playoffs, the Capitals must win all
three of their remaining games.