Rishabh Pant hoping to learn from his mentor Dhoni

"My first match as captain will be against Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai. It will be a good experience for me as I have learned a lot from him," said the Delhi Capitals skipper

Mumbai: Rishabh Pant cannot wait to start his captaincy stint with Delhi Capitals against mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings, hoping to use “learnings” from the iconic former skipper to upstage him in the IPL clash on Saturday.

Delhi will take on Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings here on Saturday. The 23-year-old highly rated wicketkeeper-batsman cannot wait to start his stint as a leader in that match. “My first match as captain will be against Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai. It will be a good experience for me as I have learned a lot from him. I have my own experience as a player as well. I’ll apply my own experience and the learnings from MS Dhoni, and try to do something different against CSK,” Pant was quoted as saying in a press release issued by Delhi Capitals.
The effervescent youngster has endured a roller-coaster ride in international cricket, gaining in prominence and respect in the past few months with his gutsy batting and drastically improved keeping.

He often draws comparisons with Dhoni but has maintained that he is aiming for a space of his own even though he does turn to the senior player for advice and mentorship. Pant, who has scored 2,079 runs in 68 IPL matches, said he would be working hard to give DC its maiden IPL title.

“…I am looking forward to making most of this opportunity. We haven’t won a title yet and I will try my level best to get a title this year. We’ve been playing nicely as a team from last two-three years and our preparations are going on well,” he said.

“Everyone looks in great frame of mind. Everyone is giving their 100 percent and is happy in the team environment, and that’s what you want as a Captain,” he added.

When asked about the influence of head coach Ricky Ponting on the team, Pant said, “He (Ricky) has been so amazing for us in the last two-three years.

“He brings energy to the team and as a player when you see your coach and you’re thinking this is the man from whom you can learn a lot, then nothing is better than that. “Hopefully, we will cross the line this year, with the help of Ricky and the whole team.”