Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant came up against his mentor in MS Dhoni in Dubai in a top of the table Indian Premier League (IPL) clash on Monday. The camaraderie between Dhoni and Pant has always been there and it was once again visible when the two wicketkeeper-batters stepped on the ground for the toss at the Dubai International Stadium. Pant won the toss and opted to bowl but when Ian Bishop asked him (Pant) how does it feel to come up against your mentor, the DC captain came up with a witty response.
"Always great learning from him (MS Dhoni), but right now he's a rival, so focus is on the game," Pant said.
After the toss, the duo were seen having fun on the field that caught the eye of fans, who termed their camaraderie as "pure bliss."
Watch the video here:
A fan summed up the bond between Dhoni and Pant in two words -- Pure Bliss.
For match 50 of the ongoing season, Delhi Capitals made one change as they left out Steve Smith and gave young all-rounder Ripal Patel his first IPL cap.
On the other hand, MS Dhoni too made a few changes to his side from the previous fixture. Dwayne Bravo and Deepak Chahar returned to the mix in place of Sam Curran and KM Asif while an injury to Suresh Raina gave Robin Uthappa the opportunity to make his CSK debut.
Both teams are currently tied at 18 points after 12 games. CSK are leading the IPL 2021 points table thanks to their superior net run-rate.