New Delhi: 

Batting first, the Super Giants managed only 159 for 6 in the stipulated 20 overs with Pant scoring a duck after coming at seventh position with just two balls remaining in the innings. Promoting Samad ahead of him did not go in the interest of the team as he managed just 2 runs in 8 balls. At the post-match presentation ceremony, the LSG skipper defended the same.

Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant has defended coming in at the number 7 position after his team’s eight-wicket mauling at the hands of Delhi Capitals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter on Tuesday. At the post-match presentation, Pant explained the rationale behind batting so low saying that promoting the likes of Abdul Samad ahead of him was a strategy to capitalise on the track.

‘The idea was to like capitalise. We sent Samad to capitalise on a wicket like that. After that (David) Miller came in and we just got stuck in the wicket. Eventually, these are the things we’ve got to figure out and try to find our best combination going forward,’ the skipper said.

Pant, who has been struggling with the bat this season, felt the toss played a big part in LSG’s loss as the team batting second always got a better pitch to bat on compared to the one making first use of the wicket.

‘We knew we were 20 runs short. Toss played a big part. Whoever is bowling first, they get a lot of help from the wicket. We just had to stay back, we couldn’t get it away. It always happens in Lucknow, the wicket gets better and better to bat on, that’s how the game goes and you can’t be complaining. Yes, toss is playing a huge part, but we are not looking for excuses,’ he explained.

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