Jaipur: Rishabh Pant said it "felt special" when Sourav Ganguly lifted him to celebrate the youngster's blistering unbeaten 78 off 36 balls that steered Delhi Capitals to a six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals and the pole position in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Just as Pant hit the winning runs, finishing it off with a six here on Monday night, former India skipper, who is Delhi's advisor, entered the ground and lifted him.
"After I finished off the match and coming out, everyone was showering so much love. It felt special when Sourav sir lifted me, it was a different experience," said Pant during a post-match interaction with teammate Prithvi Shaw.
"We talk about finishing these big games for the team, and when we do it, feels really special," he said.
When asked how he felt about his innings, Pant replied, "It's a great feeling, especially the fact that I was with you (Shaw) in the middle, I knew we would finish it."
Pant then asked Shaw about his lucky moment against Jofra Archer, when he missed a full toss and the ball went on to hit the stumps and light the bails, which didn't fall on the ground.
"This was a first time experience for me. I didn't realise it had happened. I thought it had nicked my bat. It was only when someone, probably you only told me that the bails had lighted up," revealed Shaw.
Opener Shaw (42) and Pant added 84 runs for the third wicket in quick time to help Delhi Capitals cross the line in a steep chase of 192.
