<div align="justify">India's new batting sensation Rishabh Pant believes that if the first delivery of his innings needs to be hit for a six, he will go for it.<br /><br />Pant hit a magnificent 97 off 43 balls with six boundaries and nine huge sixes as Delhi Daredevils chased down a mammoth target of 209 in 17.3 overs to beat Gujarat Lions by seven wickets in their IPL match here last night.<br /><br />Asked about his intent of hitting the very second ball bowled to him by Basil Thampi for a six, Pant's answer was as uncomplicated as his batting. "If the ball is there to be hit, I will hit it. If a bad ball is bowled, you have to punish it. Rahul Dravid told me to play my normal game without thinking too much," the 19-year-old said in a matter-of-fact manner.<br /><br />Pant was well on-course to get his maiden IPL hundred but fell short by just three runs. However, the youngster said he was thinking about the target more than the three-figure mark.<br /><br />"I was not thinking about those three runs. I was only thinking about chasing the target as quickly as possible. It's like had I been there to chase down the target, I would have got those three runs. And if I would have got those three runs, I would have chased the target," the teenager said.<br /><br />He admitted that promotion in the batting order enabled him to plan his innings as he got to face more deliveries.<br /><br />"You can see that (that he could play freely). Earlier, I was batting lower down order and coming in probably in the 15th over. Now I have full time to settle down and play my shots. The pitch was also good with ball coming onto the bat," said Pant.<br /><br />He came into the IPL on the back of a tremendous domestic season, which included a triple hundred, but he said he does not like to compare those innings. "I don't rate any of my innings. I play this game for the love of it," he replied when asked if this was his best knock at the senior level.<br /><br />The Daredevils need to win all their remaining four games in order to stay in the hunt for the IPL play-offs but Pant does not want to look too far ahead. "We have decided to take one match at a time. We don't want to look too far ahead," he said.</div>
<div align="justify">India's new batting sensation Rishabh Pant believes that if the first delivery of his innings needs to be hit for a six, he will go for it.<br /><br />Pant hit a magnificent 97 off 43 balls with six boundaries and nine huge sixes as Delhi Daredevils chased down a mammoth target of 209 in 17.3 overs to beat Gujarat Lions by seven wickets in their IPL match here last night.<br /><br />Asked about his intent of hitting the very second ball bowled to him by Basil Thampi for a six, Pant's answer was as uncomplicated as his batting. "If the ball is there to be hit, I will hit it. If a bad ball is bowled, you have to punish it. Rahul Dravid told me to play my normal game without thinking too much," the 19-year-old said in a matter-of-fact manner.<br /><br />Pant was well on-course to get his maiden IPL hundred but fell short by just three runs. However, the youngster said he was thinking about the target more than the three-figure mark.<br /><br />"I was not thinking about those three runs. I was only thinking about chasing the target as quickly as possible. It's like had I been there to chase down the target, I would have got those three runs. And if I would have got those three runs, I would have chased the target," the teenager said.<br /><br />He admitted that promotion in the batting order enabled him to plan his innings as he got to face more deliveries.<br /><br />"You can see that (that he could play freely). Earlier, I was batting lower down order and coming in probably in the 15th over. Now I have full time to settle down and play my shots. The pitch was also good with ball coming onto the bat," said Pant.<br /><br />He came into the IPL on the back of a tremendous domestic season, which included a triple hundred, but he said he does not like to compare those innings. "I don't rate any of my innings. I play this game for the love of it," he replied when asked if this was his best knock at the senior level.<br /><br />The Daredevils need to win all their remaining four games in order to stay in the hunt for the IPL play-offs but Pant does not want to look too far ahead. "We have decided to take one match at a time. We don't want to look too far ahead," he said.</div>