BCCI’s medical team issued a statement clearing Rishabh Pant for return to action before IPL 2024 and since then he has been leading Delhi Capitals. However, he was out of action for a long time due to his life-threatening car accident but with an extensive 14-month rehab he is back and almost on the verge of getting selected for the T20 World Cup as well. However, DC head coach Ricky Ponting and the team’s Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly backed him to be in the World Cup squad as well.
“I think so, yeah, I think yes,” Sourav Ganguly said. “Only 15 can make it, but as in any sport it happens, the most equipped and the better ones play and I think Pant is definitely in that bracket, I’m sure he’ll be going to West Indies. He should bat in the middle order. Where exactly is very difficult to say in T20 cricket, because of [factors like] match-ups, right-left combinations depending on who bowls, the situation of the game. It’s probably not possible for anyone – rght from no. 3 to 7 – to say with surety what their fixed position is. It doesn’t work like that in T20 cricket especially.”
However, Rishabh Pant has donned the gloves in all eight of DC’s games in IPL 2024 so far and he is also the team’s leading scorer in the tournament with 254 runs at an average of 36.29 and strike-rate a shade above 150. And, Ricky Ponting shared how the youngster has regained confidence in his body while managing the increased workloads over the last month as well.
“It’s pretty obvious that he’s seemingly gotten better and better every game,” said the veteran. “I think he’s starting to get a bit more trust and belief in the body as well. Early on he had been a little bit apprehensive as to what he can do, especially with the wicketkeeping side of it. He had done a little bit of batting coming into the tournament, so he had pretty good trust in his leg with the bat in his hand, but I think what we’re seeing with his ability to play every game as a keeper so far, I think he’s batting is getting better and better by the game. I’ve been asked a lot already the last couple of weeks now that he’s back playing what cold be his World Cup chances. I think he’ll be in the squad for sure. He’s too good a player and can have too much of an impact on games for India to not pick him.”
However, Ponting added that while Rishabh Pant may have a fresh perspective on life now, his approach and attitude on the field is still the same as well.
“I don’t think he’s changed much as a cricketer, to be honest. The way he thinks about life now might be a little bit different than it was before. He’s been facing pretty terrifying times. You think about the accident in isolation, but then the thought of maybe never playing cricket again and not being able to do what he loves would have been a nightmare for anyone. You know, the extent of his injury – even when I first saw him and that was in the middle of last year’s IPL – I must admit I had concerns if he was going to play again as well. But he’s worked incredibly hard,” he added.
“This franchise has been very, very supportive of everything they can to give him the chance to get back to full fitness again and right now I mean he’s not very far off being at full fitness. I’m sure all you guys have watched him closely every game you know he’s running between the wickets well, he’s keeping really well, he’s lost nothing with his hand-eye coordination with the gloves, he’s moving well. More importantly, when I saw him just after the accident obviously there wasn’t much to be happy about for him, but now that he’s back playing and playing well, he’s got the smile [back] on his face again and that’s the most important thing,” he concluded.
