Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has cautioned Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Board of Control Cricket of India (BCCI) to not rush Rishabh Pant back into the action. Gavaskar wants Pant to take over the reins as captain of DC when he attains full fitness.
Pant has been on his way to make a comeback after a horrific car accident on December 30, 2022, which ruled him out of a few major tournaments. Pant has been making giant strides in his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He recently was involved in a practice game. A video of him coming down the track and hitting the ball for a six made rounds on social media as well. However, he is unlikely to keep the wickets for DC. There is a possibility that he may be used as an ‘Impact player’ in the upcoming India Premier League (IPL) 2024.
"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 him coming back to full fitness. Let's not rush him into doing something that there will be a setback. 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.
Gavaskar wants Pant to be ‘healthy like before’
Gavaskar feels that Pant will face a difficult time getting back to his old self. He praised the 26-year-old for being optimistic and putting in the hard yards in his training.
"I'm also a big fan of him. For me the most important thing, is he should be healthy like before, so that he can come and entertain us. 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 added.
Warner to stay captain if Pant doesn’t play all the matches
In the previous season, DC finished ninth on the IPL points table with nine losses from 14 games. If Pant does not play every game in the league stage, David Warner is likely to stay as captain.
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