Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra recently provided an update on Rishabh Pant’s comeback journey after the wicket-keeper batter’s unfortunate car accident in December last year. Chopra shared insights on his YouTube channel, stating that while Pant has started batting against the bowling machine, his return to the Indian team is still a considerable distance away.
Pant’s car accident on the Delhi-Dehradun highway resulted in injuries to his head, back, and leg. Despite the harrowing incident, Pant managed to escape the burning vehicle by breaking a window. A video posted by Pant showed him batting alongside Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, hinting at his gradual recovery.
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“Rishabh Pant had posted a video where Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were seen batting after a long time. Now his videos have come from which it seems he is coming back. He has started batting against the bowling machine. He has started playing against 140 kph, but Pant’s comeback is quite far away as of now,” remarked Aakash Chopra.
@RishabhPant17 back in the ground 😍😍 #rishabhpant pic.twitter.com/M0r1tq9tzl
— Md Israque Ahamed (@IsraqueAhamed) August 16, 2023
Aakash Chopra speculated that Pant might be fit in time for IPL 2024, offering a conservative estimate for his return to competitive cricket. A fan-shared video on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) captured Pant confidently stepping out to dispatch a delivery out of the ground, accompanied by the cheers of onlookers.
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“The conservative guess was that he might get fit by the next IPL or the next (T20) World Cup. Let’s see, fingers crossed. Good scenes are coming and we get happy in that itself, that the boy has started moving and playing at least,” Aakash Chopra expressed optimistically.
Despite the setback, Pant’s progress in rehabilitation is noteworthy. His resumption of batting and keeping in the nets suggests a promising return to represent India in the near future.
