Having spent 15 months away from cricket, Rishabh Pant is itching to get back on the field. On Saturday, Pant will be making his return to competitive cricket when he leads Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2024 opener against Punjab Kings in Mohali.
Pant suffered injuries after a car accident in December 2022 which required extensive rehabilitation.
Pant was told by the doctors he’ll spend a significant time away from cricket but through his sheer determination, the wicketkeeper-batter surprised the medical staff that nursed him to full fitness with a quick recovery.
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Pant was given the fitness clearance by the BCCI earlier this month following which DC officially named him as their captain for IPL 2024. Last season, the franchise was led by Australian David Warner in Pant’s absence.
DC coach Ricky Ponting has revealed that Pant is doing well in the training session and quipped that sometimes the 26-year-old ends up spending too much time batting that he has to be dragged out of the nets to avoid a burnout.
“We had a week’s training in Vizag before coming here and trust me Rishabh is back and ready to play. He is batting and moving behind the stumps beautifully. Sometimes he bats too much and I have to drag him out of nets,” Ponting said ahead of DC vs PBKS.
“I’ve seen where his game is at, and don’t be surprised if something special happens tomorrow. His attitude and smile and what he wants to do for the team is infectious. Everyone wants to be like Rishabh,” he added.
The Australia legend says DC missed Pant last season and his return makes them stronger.
“We are about to start an IPL, it’s really an exciting time of the year. It becomes more exciting when your captain is back in your team. Last year, we missed him. He is our leader. He is the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger,” Ponting said.
Ponting is quite confident of the team’s chances this time around after the team had a poor season last year that saw them finish second from bottom on the points table.
“Make no mistake, we have got a great team this year. Our preparations have been absolutely perfect. We are just looking to topping it off today, and make sure we put in a performance that I know would be good enough to win the game tomorrow (Saturday),” Ponting said.
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