Rishabh Pant is on his way to make a comeback. On February 20, he underwent match simulation exercises in Alur, Karnataka under the supervision of National Cricket Academy physio and trainers. During the T20 practice game, he showed that he has not lost his aggressive touch. He danced down the track and smashed a massive six.
The video of Pant’s six has been making rounds on social media
After surviving a horrific accident on December 30, 2023, and several surgeries, Pant has spent most of his time at the NCA, Bengaluru with physio S Rajnikanth. He has been posting photos and videos of his rehabilitation journey to keep his fans informed.
In a recent interview with Star Sports, Pant said that he is not thinking too far ahead and focusing on attaining full fitness.
"I am focusing on recovery cut off from the world. It helps me in recovering fast, especially when the injury is so serious. For recovery, you have to do the same thing every day. It's boring, it's irritating, it's frustrating, but you have to do it," the 26-year-old said.
Ponting backs Pant to play 10 league matches
He is expected to return as a batter, not wicketkeeper-batter for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. DC head coach Ricky Ponting is hopeful that Pant will play 10 out of 14 matches to avoid any injury.
"He's such a dynamic player. He's obviously our captain. We missed him incredibly last year. If you understand the journey he's been on the last 12-13 months, it was a horrific incident. One that I know he feels very lucky to have even survived, let alone have the chance to play cricket again.
"We'll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he can be out there and play. Even if it's not all the games, if we can manage him through 10 of the 14 games or whatever that might be then whatever games you can get out of him will be a bonus," Ponting said.
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