Rishabh Pant’s much-awaited return to competitive cricket is set to be put in motion later this month with the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2024 season.
However, having missed out on nearly 15 months of action due to the fatal car accident he suffered in December 2022, Pant has yet to be confirmed as the full-time captain for the upcoming IPL season for the Capitals. Opening up on the leadership and Pant’s utility this year, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting put the decision ultimately on Pant’s fitness progress.
The Capitals open their campaign against Punjab Kings in Mohali on March 23 with Pant stepping up on his recovery and rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
“It’s a big decision we’ll have to make because if he is fit, you’d think he’d step straight back into that captaincy role,” Ponting said.
“If he’s not entirely fit and we have to use him in a slightly different role, then we’ve got some decisions to make there,” Ponting said as he spoke in the ICC Review.
In Pant’s absence last season, opener David Warner took up the leadership role as the Capitals finished ninth on the standings with only five wins in 14 matches.
Progressing ⚡️💪#RP17 pic.twitter.com/Um1GOBb4VV
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) February 20, 2024
Pant has recently returned to playing practice games in Bengaluru, keeping him on track for a swift return to action. “He’s actually played some practice matches over the last couple of weeks, which has been really encouraging for us,” Ponting said.
“I know he’s worked incredibly hard on his body and his fitness to get back to the level that he’s at now. He’s kept in one of those games, he’s fielded in these games and the batting hasn’t seemingly been an issue for him so far.
“We’ve obviously had worries and concerns that he might not have made it in time to be ready for the IPL this year. I mean, he was a huge loss for us last year and what he went through, we can’t even begin to describe what he’s been through the last 12 or 14 months,” the Australian remarked.
Backing the natural game
Pant’s absence was also felt in the national side, with India struggling to find their balance while losing a swashbuckling asset with the bat as well. “I’m very hopeful, not from a selfish point of view as the coach of the Delhi Capitals, but I want to see him back playing cricket again.
Ponting said it would be imperative for the left-handed Pant to maintain his aggressive self while batting to find his quicker upon his return. “I think he’ll just go out there and certainly, that’s my job anyway – I’ll be telling him to go back out and play the way that he’s always played and I think if he does that, I think the game will come back to him a bit quicker. If he goes out there and tries to find his way and get back into the groove, I think it might take him a little bit longer.
“But at the end of the day, that’s what these practice games now have been for, that’s what the camp has been for, for us to get his skills and his mindset back into a place where he can just go out and play the way that he’s always played,” Ponting added.
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