Watch: Rishabh Pant hit an unbelievable one-handed six to deposit a Shardul Thakur delivery into the stands, during Qualifier 1 of the 2021 IPL.
Qualifier 1 of the IPL was played between the top two ranked sides of the league, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. CSK elected to field first and were able to put brakes on the DC scoring rate with regular breakthroughs. At the beginning of the 11th over, Ravindra Jadeja ended Prithvi Shaw’s blistering knock, to leave DC 80-4. CSK seemed to be in complete control when Rishabh Pant joined Shimron Hetmyer in the middle.
Together they stabilised the innings and got DC to 114 at the beginning of the 15th over. While Hetmyer went for a few big shots, Pant was generally more reserved. This changed in the next over. Shardul Thakur bowled a teasing slower ball in Pant’s hitting arc. The Delhi batter stayed in his crease but extended the bat towards the ball. In the process, his left hand lost the grip of the bat’s handle, while the right hand ensured that the bat swung towards the ball. The delivery was struck so well, even with just one hand on the bat, that it landed in the stands.
The crowd went wild after this 86-metre six, while the commentators too were mesmerised by this stroke.
Ian Bishop, commentating on-air said: “It’s gone for six. One-handed, I’m not too sure if he’s middled that, brilliant from Pant.”
His co-commentator Matthew Hayden added: “He’s nowhere near that. Now if he had two hands on his bat, that wouldn’t have gone half-way to the boundary. But he actually gets the extension through his hands which carries the bat out in front of him, and therefore he gets the distance towards the short side of the ground, granted, but what a shot!”
