Senior Delhi Capitals batsman Shikhar Dhawan heaped praise on young Rishabh Pant, who started his captaincy stint with a sublime win over Chennai Super Kings.

Chasing 189 runs to win, Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw made brilliant half-centuries to hand Delhi a convincing seven-wicket win.

Dhawan slammed a 54-ball 85 while Shaw continued his fine form and hit a 38-ball 72 to shut doors on Chennai. Pant with an unbeaten 15 off 12 deliveries helped Delhi overhaul the target in 18.4 overs.

"He (Pant) did quite well. Glad that he won the toss. It was a sticky wicket, so was good for us to bat second. He kept his calm, kept on motivating the boys, made good changes. Since it was only his first game as captain I am sure he is going to get refined and get better. The best thing is he stays calm and has presence of mind," Dhawan said.

IPL 2021 CSK vs DC: Dhoni fined ₹12 lakh for slow over-rate

Chennai coach Stephen Fleming chose to take positives from the loss and hailed veteran southpaw Suresh Raina, who returned to IPL with a handy half-century.

"It's really good. Considering the the situation where he came out, he was outstanding. Also, Suresh (at No. 4) was in an aggressive role, getting him to whip it. It's a real positive sign for us," Fleming said.