England batsman Sam Billings has praised his newly-appointed skipper Rishabh Pant, saying that the left-hander wicketkeeper-batsman is probably the best young player he has ever seen.
Billings, who was part of the Delhi franchise in IPL 2016 and 2017, has now once again returned to the Delhi camp after being acquired by the side for his base price of Rs 2 crore in the mini-auction in February 18.
“It’s great to be back at the IPL. There are a great group of players and the DC camp has been very welcoming. I am very excited to be here,” he said in a Delhi Capitals release.
“I remember the first time I saw Rishabh play. We had a middle practice, and he was hitting bowlers like Chris Morris, Nathan Coulter-Nile and lot of other bowlers everywhere and then I asked Rahul Dravid (then Delhi franchise mentor), “Who is this guy?” And now we all know who Rishabh Pant is and I actually said back then that he’s probably the best young player I have ever seen. We have seen what he does on a regular basis in the India shirt and also in the Delhi shirt. I am really happy for him and he will go from strength to strength,” added he.
Meanwhile, Billings is hopeful to win the IPL 2021 with the Delhi Capitals this year.
“I love the IPL. It’s one of the best competitions in the world and the buzz around the IPL is something that you can’t get anywhere else in the world, so I am just looking forward to playing in the tournament again. My game has improved a lot since I last played for Delhi. Hopefully, we can kick-on as a group and win the competition this year,” he said.
Delhi Capitals will take on Chennai Super Kings in their season opener of the IPL 2021 season, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai on April 10.