‘Everybody knows it but…’: Rishabh Pant drops F-bomb after Lucknow Super Giants defeat in Jaipur

NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant did not hide his frustration after Lucknow Super Giants suffered their ninth defeat of the season, but the skipper made it clear that one result – or an entire disappointing campaign – will not change his outlook on his side.After LSG’s seven-wicket defeat by Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Tuesday, Pant dropped a rare F-bomb while backing up in his dressing room and insisted the team’s quality remained intact despite being knocked out of the play-offs. “We are proud as a team no matter what our situation is right now. We know what kind of team we have, we know we can win this. No matter what, we are confident enough as a team and as individuals,” Pant said after the match.“It didn’t go our way and everybody knows that, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re a damn good team.Pant supports the team despite another collapseLSG looked in control after posting 220/5 on the flat surface of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, but the total proved insufficient as RR chased them down in just 19.1 overs. Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi swooped in with a 38-ball 93, leaving Pant’s bowlers unanswered.The LSG captain admitted his side failed with the bat despite the impressive score.“I think there’s a couple of ways to look at it. In the middle overs and then in the last over, the way Jofra Archer bowled, it was really good. But we could have actually scored five or ten more runs on a wicket like that when you’ve got a start like that and we just couldn’t capitalize on it in the last over,” he said.“Experience cannot be gained overnight”Pant also spoke about the challenge of defending totals on bat-friendly pitches, saying bowlers often have little margin for error.“Definitely it’s tough because you always want to back your bowlers, but sometimes it’s tough. On a wicket like that, the bowlers have less margin. Sometimes you have to have a simple plan, keep focusing on one ball at a time and just try to execute,” he said.

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He also acknowledged the value of experience in crunch moments and hinted at what LSG lacked at key stages this season.“Experience is something you’ll always lack. You can’t get it overnight. It takes people years to get that experience and certainly in pressure situations it’s one thing that keeps you going,” he added.Pant also defended the retention of Shahbaz Ahmed until late in the chase, explaining that the decision was tactical against the RR left-handers.