Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed amazement at Rishabh Pant’s swift recovery and potential participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as captain and batter for the Delhi Capitals. Pant, who suffered a severe car accident in December 2022, has not played competitive cricket since then.
Aakash Chopra commended Pant’s professionalism and recovery speed, considering the challenging circumstances. On his YouTube channel, Chopra remarked, “There are filtered reports that Rishabh Pant will be seen playing in the IPL, which is absolutely phenomenal. It is miraculous, considering where he came from and where he has reached.
Highlighting the significance of Pant’s role in the Delhi Capitals, Aakash Chopra noted that the wicketkeeper-batter’s inclusion would address critical issues within the team.
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“He will bat and captain. With batting, he solves an extremely important problem for the Delhi Capitals because he can bat slightly down the order as, unfortunately, all their good players are top-order batters,” explained Aakash Chopra.
Rishabh Pant’s absence has been notable, missing key tournaments such as IPL 2023, the World Test Championship, and the ICC Cricket World Cup since his last competitive appearance on December 22, 2022, against Bangladesh in a Test match.
Despite this, he has been a key player for the Delhi Capitals, scoring 2838 runs for the franchise. His best IPL season was in 2018, when he amassed 684 runs in 14 games. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman had met with an accident while travelling from Delhi to Roorkee in late 2022, resulting in his car colliding with a road divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway.
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After initial treatment at a local hospital and later at a private hospital in Dehradun, Pant was airlifted to Mumbai in January and continued treatment at Kokilaben Dhirubai Ambani Hospital. Despite his absence, Pant remained involved in the Delhi Capitals’ activities, attending training sessions and matches during the last season. In his last IPL season, he scored 340 runs with an average of 30.91.
