Rishabh Pant likely to watch DC's game against Gujarat Titans from stadium: Report
New Delhi, Apr 3: Injured Delhi Capitals regular captain Rishabh Pant is likely to watch the team's first home game against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday from the Feroz Shah Kotla stands.
He might also sit in the dug-out if the franchise can secure requisite permission from the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).
"Rishabh has always been an integral part of Delhi Capitals. There is a high possibility that he will be present for the season's first home game against GT on Tuesday. He will definitely be in the team owner's box but if ACSU allows, he might also sit for some time in the team dug-out," an IPL source privy to the development in the Capitals' camp told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Pant met with a horrific car accident last December which has ruled him out of competitive cricket for a considerable period of time. He has undergone a surgery on his right knee and has just started walking and doing his rehabilitation.
BCCI "not very happy" with DC's jersey gesture in 1st match
In the opening game against Lucknow Super Giants, the DC team had hung their skipper's jersey No. 17 on the roof of the dug-out as a gesture that he is "always with the team in spirit".
However, an IPL source told PTI that it has been made clear from the BCCI's end that such a gesture seemed a "bit over the top" and was at one level "uncalled for".
"It seemed a bit over the top. Such a gesture is reserved in case of ultimate tragedy or retirement. In this case, it was neither. Rishabh is well and truly on his way to recovery faster than one expected. So while it was done with a noble intention, it is learnt that BCCI has politely told the franchise to avoid such gesture in future," the IPL source said.
It is understood that it was head coach Ricky Ponting's idea to display Pant's jersey from the dug-out.
Pant's jersey No 17 to be inscribed on every jersey during one game
The Delhi Capitals will be honouring Pant by inscribing his jersey number on all the players during one of the games when the team will wear a different colour. However, the jersey number will be inscribed in one corner and it will not be an infringement with the players' individual jersey numbers.
"Every season, DC wears a different jersey during one particular game. In that game, everyone will have Pant's jersey number inscribed on their jerseys. However there is specific rule for logo and it will be a small inscription in one corner," the source said.
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India beat Ireland by 304 runs in third women's ODI
Rajkot, Jan 15: Records tumbled like nine pins as the Indian women's cricket team, powered by skipper Smriti Mandhana's 70-ball century, demolished Ireland by a whopping 304 runs to claim its biggest-ever ODI win and complete a 3-0 clean sweep here on Wednesday.
The result of the match was a mere formality once India set Ireland a massive target of 436, and Ireland could only garner 131 before getting bundled out in 31.4 overs.
India put the first step forward towards a crushing victory through record-breaking Mandhana (135, 80b, 12x4, 7x6) and her opening partner Pratika Rawal (154, 129b, 20x4, 1x6), reaching 435/5, highest total by an Indian team — men’s or women’s — in ODIs.
India men's highest ODI total is 418/5 made against the West Indies in Indore in 2011.
Mandhana and Rawal added a whopping 233 runs for the first wicket in just 26.4 overs and there was no looking back.
Then spinners Tanuja Kanwar (2/31) and Deepti Sharma (3/27) took over, sharing five wickets among them to decimate the Irish line-up, which was well short on experience.
Orla Prendergast (36) and Sarah Forbes (41) added 64 runs for a fluent third wicket stand that helped Ireland to recover from a shaky 24 for two to reach 88 without further damage.
But once Prendergast was cleaned up by Kanwar, India were all over the tourists like a bad rash, claiming the remaining seven wickets for just 33 runs.
It also helped India eclipse their previous largest margin of victory (by runs) — 249 registered against the same opposition in 2017 at Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Mandhana’s 10th ODI century came off just 70 deliveries as the left-hander surpassed Harmanpreet Kaur’s 87-ball hundred mark against South Africa last year.
It also set the tone for India breaching the 400-run mark for the first time, joining Australia and New Zealand in that elite list.
Mandhana was in her usual destructive self, and was not afraid to take the aerial route over the 'V' and clear the 30-yard circle.
Pratika complemented her captain brilliantly with a measured knock, making the occasion even more special by notching her maiden international century in her sixth innings.
Pratika relied on precise placement and deft touches in the point region and she showed her aggression only after reaching the ton, hitting Freya Sargent for her first six.
Demonstrating hunger for a bigger knock, she powered her way to an impressive 150 — a perfect blend of composure and aggression.
Their 233-run partnership made them only the fourth Indian pair to record a 200-run stand in Women’s ODIs.
It was also the third instance of both Indian openers scoring hundreds in ODIs, following Reshma Gandhi and Mithali Raj’s feat at Milton Keynes in 1999 and Deepti and Raut’s partnership at Potchefstroom in 2017 -- all against Ireland.
The duo added 90 runs during the Power Play and 67 in the subsequent 10 overs, maintaining a brisk scoring rate.
Mandhana reached her first century of the calendar year with an exquisite drive off Arlene Kelly.
Kelly bore the brunt of her onslaught, conceding successive sixes in one over.
Even Kelly’s variations, including back-of-the-hand deliveries, were dispatched with ease, with the Indian batter following a six with another boundary in the 24th over.
Mandhana also took on Ireland’s leading bowler, Prendergast, smashing her for a boundary down the ground and a towering six over long-on.
Promoted to No. 3, Richa Ghosh also returned to form, making a 37-ball fifty, her fifth in ODIs.
