The swashbuckling Rishabh Pant demonstrated with his sensational performance against Gujarat Titans that he is ready to scream in the next T20 World Cup, according to Delhi Capitals batting coach Pravin Amre. Pant, a month after returning to competitive cricket after recovering from multiple injuries sustained in a horrific car accident in December 2022, nearly sealed his spot as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup with an unbeaten 88 off 43 balls in DC’s four-run win over GT in an IPL match on Wednesday.

Skipper Pant and Axar Patel (66 off 43) put up a quick 113-run stand off 68 balls to propel DC to 224/4 after trailing 44/3 in their must-win match.

“He (Pant) began with a two-week training in Vizag; he arrived there and prepared himself well. When he arrived to the Vizag camp, he went straight from the airport to the grounds.

“He was hungry and determined to make the most of every day. It’s all about his hard effort, and it pays off,” Amre stated at the post-match press conference.

“Obviously, a couple of nice knocks boosted him confidence, and today we saw a remarkable knock. Finishing was vital, and we witnessed how Rishabh scored 31 runs against an experienced bowler (Mohit Sharma), indicating that he is in good form. Amre also lauded Axar for making the most of his opportunity after being promoted to No. 3.

“If you recall from last year, he (Axar) was the one who was striking well, and this season, he batted in the final 4-5 overs, so it wasn’t fair. So the whole objective was to give them a chance.

“Axar performed quite well, but his pairing with Rishabh was particularly impressive. We were also suffering, scoring 46 odd runs in the powerplay with three wickets down.

“Axar has shown and that (partnership) was the reason that we got 96 runs in the last 5 overs,” he went on to say.