Pant has been diligently undergoing extensive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
The head coach of the Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting, recently shared his thoughts on the talented wicketkeeper-batter, Rishabh Pant, ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024. Ponting expressed his belief that Pant is brimming with confidence and is eager to participate in every game of the tournament. However, the coach remains uncertain about whether Pant should take on the responsibility of captaining the team or solely focus on his role as the keeper.
Pant, who is 26 years old, miraculously survived a life-threatening car accident while traveling to his hometown of Roorkee on December 30, 2022. Following the incident, he was swiftly transported to Mumbai on January 4, 2023, where he underwent surgery and began his recovery process.
Since then, Pant has been diligently undergoing extensive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. His progress has been nothing short of remarkable, and there is a genuine possibility of him returning to competitive cricket and being fit for IPL 2024.
"Rishabh is very confident that he's going to be right to play. In what capacity we're not quite sure yet. You would have seen all the social-media stuff, he's up and about and running well. But in saying that we're only six weeks away from the first game as well. So we're not sure if we'll get wicketkeeping out of him this year.
"But I'll guarantee if I asked him now he'll say, 'I'm playing every game, I'm keeping every game and I'm batting at No.4.' That's just what he's like, but we'll keep our fingers crossed. He's such a dynamic player. He's obviously our captain. We missed him incredibly last year," said Ponting.
Ponting stated that if Pant participates in a substantial number of matches during the IPL 2024 season, it would undoubtedly prove advantageous for the Capitals.
"If you understand the journey he's been on the last 12-13 months, it was a horrific incident. One that I know he feels very lucky to have even survived, let alone have the chance to play cricket again.
"We'll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he can be out there and play. Even if it's not all the games, if we can manage him through 10 of the 14 games or whatever that might be then whatever games you can get out of him will be a bonus."
The IPL 2024 is expected to commence in the last week of March, and the Capitals are determined to deliver a superior performance following their disappointing ninth-place finish last season. As the runners-up of IPL 2020, the team only managed to secure two victories at their home ground, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Unfortunately, their batting lineup failed to synchronize effectively, resulting in a lackluster display.
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 "'He's confident but...': Ricky Ponting provides huge update on Rishabh Pant's availability for IPL 2024")
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