England international, Sam Billings says that he was left awestruck when he first saw a young Rishabh Pant bat and smash international bowlers for fun. Sam Billings, who will appear for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2021, has been associated with the Delhi franchise (formerly Daredevils) in 2016 and 2017.
Recently, Rishabh Pant was made the captain of Delhi Capitals for the upcoming 14th edition of the IPL as regular skipper, Shreyas Iyer, is ruled out due to a shoulder injury, which he suffered while fielding in the ODI series against England. It will be a step up for Pant as he has been in phenomenal form for India over the last 4 months and will cherish the new responsibility of leading the franchise which made it to the final last season.
“I remember the first time I saw Rishabh play. We had a middle practice, and he was hitting bowlers like Chris Morris, Nathan Coulter-Nile and lot of other bowlers everywhere and then I asked Rahul Dravid (then Delhi franchise mentor), ‘Who is this guy?’
“And now we all know who Rishabh Pant is and I actually said back then that he’s probably the best young player I have ever seen. We have seen what he does on a regular basis in the India shirt and also in the Delhi shirt. I am really happy for him and he will go from strength to strength,” Sam Billings said in a Delhi Capitals release.
My game has improved a lot since I last played for Delhi: Sam Billings
Sam Billings played just 11 matches in his 2 seasons at Delhi previously, then he spent a couple of seasons at the Chennai Super Kings. The 29-year-old has now become a regular member of England’s squad and often finds a place in the ODI side. He has vast experience of 187 T20 matches scoring 3527 runs and is willing to give his best to help the Capitals do one better than last time.
“It’s great to be back at the IPL. There are a great group of players and the DC camp has been very welcoming. I am very excited to be here. I love the IPL. It’s one of the best competitions in the world and the buzz around the IPL is something that you can’t get anywhere else in the world, so I am just looking forward to playing in the tournament again.
“My game has improved a lot since I last played for Delhi. Hopefully, we can kick-on as a group and win the competition this year,” Sam Billings added.
The Capitals will begin their campaign against three-time champions, Chennai Super Kings on April 10th in Mumbai.
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