If the ball is bad, you have to punish it: Pant

Rishabh Pant’s innings of 97 off 43 balls left everyone dazzled with its brilliance and though the teenager missed out on a well-deserved century, it was not what played in his mind. All he wanted was the swift wrap of the chase.

"If the ball is there to hit, I'll hit it. I was not thinking I'll get out; if the ball is bad, you have to punish it - that's what I'm doing. Rahul Dravid told me to play my natural game without thinking too much,” the wicket-keeper-batsman said.

When Pant was caught behind at 97, he stood at the crease distraught before walking weakly to the dugout. “I was not thinking about those three runs, I just wanted to ensure that we chased down the total down quickly. If I would have gotten the three runs, I would have been able to finish the match,” Pant said.

On his home ground, Pant with his 143-run third-wicket stand with Sanju Samson chased down the 209-run target by Gujarat Lions and handed Daredevils a thrilling seven-wicket victory.

Asked if it was his best innings at the senior level, Pant said: "I don't rate any of my innings. I play this game for the love of it."

Pant, who hit nine sixes and six boundaries during his blitzkrieg, got praises from all corners, including Sachin Tendulkar who described his innings on twitter as: “One of the best Innings I have seen in the IPL & that includes all 10 seasons.”

Pant, who was promoted to No. 3, admitted he preferred the spot. “I was batting lower down the order in some games. I was coming to bat after 15 overs. Now, I have full time to settle and play my normal shots,” he said.