With Pant’s imminent return to cricket after 15 months, fans all around are eager to see him in action for Delhi Capitals in this IPL. However, the Indian Cricketing legend, Sunil Gavaskar thinks there might be setbacks when he returns to the field and he should not be rushed back to action.
Gavaskar in his interview with Star Sports added “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,”
“It will be very difficult for him and it will take some time for him to get that batting fluency. But good that he has started training,” Gavaskar told Star Sports. Rishabh Pant who is currently in rehabilitation at Bengaluru’s National Cricket Academy(NCA), played his first warm-up match earlier this month in Alur. This was the first time Pant played a 20-over match following his accident in December 2022.
Reports suggested that he faced slight discomfort while batting but it was not something to be concerned about as per the NCA doctors.
Gavaskar suggested that the franchise needs to manage Pant carefully to avoid any further setbacks. He further added “He(Pant) certainly can think on his feet. If he gets back to full fitness, the reins of captaincy should be handed over to him.” This was something Delhi Capitals must have kept in mind, as seen by the franchise’s strategy in the auction, to invest heavily in wicketkeepers. The 26-year-old might play solely as a batsman for the Capitals this season to avoid giving him added workload behind the stumps.
The notable mention is the addition of uncapped Indian Kumar Kushagra for 7.20 crore. They also added overseas keeping options in the form of Tristan Stubbs and Shai Hope for 50 lakhs and 75 lakhs respectively.
Pant’s availability for the tournament has been confirmed by the Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal. “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,” said Jindal to ESPN. Capitals will begin their 2024 IPL campaign against Punjab Kings on 23rd March in Mohali.