IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant opens up about his first game as captain against mentor MS Dhoni

Delhi captain Rishabh Pant has said he is "very excited" that he will be doing captaincy for the first time and his first game is against his mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The 23-year-old cricketer, who received his debut India cap from MS Dhoni, said he has learnt a lot from the former Indian skipper and "it will be a good experience" to play against him as a captain. Pant said he also has a lot of experience from his life too, which he will try to mix up and do something new and different against the Chennai team.

“I am very excited that I’ll be doing captaincy for the first time and the first game will be against Mahi bhai. So, it will be a good experience as I’ve learnt a lot from him and I have a lot of experience from my life too so we’ll try to mix that up and to do something new and different with CSK this year,” Pant said in an interview shared by his team Delhi on Twitter. 

Pant wants to win title

Pant, who is the fifth-youngest cricketer to lead a side in the IPL, thanked the owners of Delhi and also the coaches who gave him the opportunity. The wicketkeeper-batsman said he would like to make the most of the opportunity, adding "I would try my level best to get a title this year". While talking about Delhi's head coach Ricky Ponting, Pant said "he brings a lot of energy to the team" and everyone looks up to him. 

Pant replaced captain Shreyas Iyer as captain after the latter suffered a shoulder injury in the ODI series against England last month. On March 30, Delhi Capitals announced that Pant has been handed over the captaincy reign until Shreyas Iyer returns. As far as the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is concerned, Delhi will open their campaign on April 10 as they take on Chennai at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

(Image Credit: PTI)