IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals' Sam Billings recounts his experience of watching Rishabh Pant bat for the first time

New Delhi, April 2: Sam Billings, who was part of the Delhi franchise (Delhi Daredevils) in IPL 2016 and IPL 2017, returned to the Delhi camp after Delhi Capitals acquired the England cricketer at his base price of Rs 2 crore in the IPL 2021 Auction in February.

The English wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings, who has scored 3527 runs, taken 107 catches and effected 17 stumpings in 187 T20 matches, expressed that he is very excited to be a part of the Delhi Capitals for IPL 2021, "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."

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Billings, who spent a considerable amount of time with Delhi Capitals' newly appointed captain Rishabh Pant during his previous stint with the Delhi franchise, recounted his first-ever experience of watching Pant bat.

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"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 a 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," said Billings.

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The 29-year-old - who was part of the IPL 2018 winning Chennai Super Kings side - now hopes to win the IPL 2021 with the Delhi Capitals. "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 added.