Delhi Capitals (DC) Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly revealed that the Indian Premier League franchise will not rush Rishabh Pant, who is on his comeback trail after he was injured in a horrific car accident in December 2022.
Pant has been out of action for over a year, missing a host of major international tournaments after he suffered multiple injuries including cuts on his forehead, bruises on his back, and damage to his ankle. He underwent surgeries for ligament tears in his right knee.
Pant had recently shared a video of his training session in which he was seen undergoing batting and wicketkeeping drills.
ALSO WATCH | Rishabh Pant ‘Pushing the Limits’ in Gym as he Inches Closer to Comeback in IPL 2024
Sourav Ganguly in an interview to TOI, when asked about the hype around Pant’s return, said: “That’s part of professional sport. Rishabh coming back fit is a huge addition for us. We hope he plays the full season because he is a very special player. We have worked on some domestic players who have done well in all formats. But Rishabh is very important.”
When prodded for more information and Pant’s wicket-keeping in IPL 2024, Ganguly said: “He has done everything to get fit and that’s the reason NCA will clear him. Let Rishabh get cleared on Mar 5 only then we’ll talk about captaincy backups. We are taking a cautious approach with him because he has a very long career ahead of him. We don’t want to push him in excitement. We will see how Rishabh reacts. He will be joining the camp once NCA gives him the clearance. We will see match by match. We can’t predict.”
“As for wicketkeeping options, there’s Kumar Kushagra. Ricky Bhui has had a very good season. There is Shai Hope and Tristan Stubbs,” Sourav Ganguly added.
Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal, speaking to ESPNcricinfo, had earlier said that Pant will captain DC but will not be keeping wicket in the first half of the season.
“Rishabh is batting. He’s running. He has started his wicketkeeping. He is likely to be fully fit for the IPL. I am expecting Rishabh to play IPL and he will lead from match one. First seven games we are going to play him only as a batter and depending on how his body reacts, we will take a call for the rest of the IPL,” Parth Jindal said.
Sunil Gavaskar, on Star Sports, though was of the opinion that the team management should not do anything that may result in another setback.
“He certainly has the ability to think on his feet. If he gets back to full fitness, the reins of (Delhi Capitals) captaincy should be handed over to him. Let’s stay hopeful. This season is the first of his coming back to full fitness. Let’s not rush him into doing something that there will be a setback. The knee plays a pivotal role in batting as well as keeping — which, of course, he may not do initially. Maybe he won’t be the usual Rishabh Pant that we are used to seeing,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Comments
0 comment