<p>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.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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." <br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /></p>
<p>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.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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." <br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /></p>
