Rishabh Pant is set to make his much-awaited return to competitive cricket after the horrific accident with the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League 2024. All eyes would be on the Delhi Capitals skipper and his game.
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is also excited to see Pant’s return but is worried that it might take him time to be fluent again.
“I’m also a big fan of him. For me, the most important thing is he should be healthy like before, so that he can come and entertain us. It will be very difficult for him and it will take some time for him to get that batting fluency. But good that he has started training,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“Knee plays a pivotal role in batting as well as keeping – which of course he may not do initially. Maybe he won’t be the usual Rishabh Pant that we are used to seeing. He certainly has the ability to think on his feet. If he gets back to full fitness, the reins of (Delhi Capitals) captaincy should be handed over to him. Let’s stay hopeful. This season is first of him coming back to full fitness. Let’s not rush him into doing something that there will be a setbackhe added.
India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is putting in the hard yards and grinding it out at the gym to sculpt his physique and reclaim prime fitness ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The left-hander took to social media to offer fans a glimpse into his rigorous gym session as he prepares to grace the cricket field for the first time since December 2022.
Pant survived a near-fatal car crash on December 30, 2022. The wicketkeeper-batter has done extensive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and maderemarkable progress in his recovery.
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting had earlier said Pant is ‘very confident’ of playing every game in IPL 2024.
The franchise co-owner Parth Jindal also expressed optimism that Pant would be fully fit for the IPL and emphasized that he will lead the team from the outset but will focus solely on batting in the initial phase of the tournament.