Delhi Capitals (DC) all-rounder Lalit Yadav has revealed that the skipper, Rishabh Pant, is very helpful while standing behind the stumps and is always clearly communicating each and every plan.
Lalit has scored 137 runs in 9 matches this season and has taken 4 wickets with the ball at an economy rate of 8.47. His role has mostly been that of containing the batters in the middle overs alongside the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
Although not known for his bowling, Lalit said that the confidence shown in him by the skipper has helped a lot. He opened up about an over in the previous IPL season against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where Pant played a huge role in the game.
“Last year, I dismissed Eoin Morgan and Sunil Narine in the same over. I was not comfortable with the way Pant had set the field. He walked up to me and said ‘tu bass ball daal, zyaada se zyaada chauka lagega na’. He had set the field for me and gave me the plan.”
“I bowled the way he told me to and I got the wicket of Morgan. He asked me to block his reverse sweep. Morgan hit me over covers and ended up giving a catch to a fielder. I didn’t plan the wicket. It was planned by Rishabh,” Lalit told in a chat with TimesofIndia.com.
“Rishabh and Ponting inject a lot of confidence into the team” – Lalit Yadav
Lalit went on to speak about the dressing room and the atmosphere created by Pant and DC head coach, Ricky Ponting. He said that they are excellent at motivating and bringing the best out of each and every player.
“Pant motivates me a lot. If your coach and captain show trust in you and your abilities, it helps you to grow. The player becomes more confident. Rishabh and Ricky Ponting back me a lot. Rishabh says ‘you have to do well, just don’t think too much’. Rishabh and Ponting inject a lot of confidence into the team,” Lalit further mentioned.
DC has had an up-and-down IPL 2022 season and is currently in the 7th spot with 4 wins in 9 matches.