“Still on recovery to 100 per cent…”: Rishabh Pant gives fitness update

Pant also said that the love of fans and supporters means a lot to him as he continues to go towards 100 per cent fitness.

Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter and Delhi Capitals Rishabh Pant said that he is still on his way to recovering 100 per cent from the injuries sustained during a car accident last year and he will be fully fit hopefully within next few months.

Pant was in Dubai for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Dubai on Tuesday.

“I think [I am] much better [compared to] what I was doing a few months ago. Still on recovery to 100 per cent, but hopefully, in a few months I will be able to do that. It has been really amazing because whenever we are playing, we feel no one loves us. After all, there is always pressure and so many things. Yes, it is a hard time but I came to know people love us, respect us and the kind of appreciation and concern people have shown over a while because of my injury,” Pant said in a video posted by his franchise on social media, according to ESPNCricinfo.

Pant also said that the love of fans and supporters means a lot to him as he continues to go towards 100 per cent fitness.

“It was heartfelt – crazy for me – because it means a lot as an individual when you are going through a very rough time. It is not only physical [recovery], it is mentally also and if your supporters and the people support you and love you, it means a lot, and it really helps in recovery,” he said.

The wicketkeeper-batter also expressed that he was “lucky to be alive” following the accident.
“The kind of accident I had, [I am] lucky to be alive,” he said.

“I think it was very challenging, especially the first part I would say more from a physical point of view because in the starting there was a lot of pain to be endured. But just looking at the journey till now, I think it has been going really well from a recovery point of view. I felt like I could not face people and all, and I felt like I had to do something which gives me confidence,” he concluded.

As per an ESPNCricinfo report, Delhi Capitals expect Pant to be fully fit by February end and return to the next IPL season as a captain. It is not confirmed though if he will return as a wicketkeeper-batter or a specialist batter. But the franchise will be happy to have Pant back in the team, leading it and batting.

The first hint of his return to IPL came back in November when he attended a DC camp in Kolkata, attended by senior support staff of the team including Sourav Ganguly (director of cricket), Ricky Ponting (head coach), and Pravin Amre (assistant coach). Subsequently, Pant took part in the discussions about the retention and release of players ahead of the auction.

Because the automobile accident tore ligaments in his right knee, Pant was unable to play any cricket in 2023. He has since had his ligaments successfully repaired, and he has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He has uploaded videos in recent months that appear to indicate that his recuperation is proceeding as expected.

He has started to bat again, although it’s unclear if he has been keeping wickets as of now.

No official report from the BCCI has been given about Pant since July, when it stated that he had “commenced batting as well as keeping in the nets” and had made “significant progress in his rehabilitation.”

Pant will play in his first competition since making an appearance in the Bangladesh tour in late 2022 if he is cleared by the NCA by February of the following year, as the franchise anticipates. The previous season, the Capitals had named David Warner as their temporary captain in place of Pant. With five victories and nine losses in their 14 league games, they came in second from the bottom.

Pant has represented DC since 2016 and scored 2,838 runs in 98 matches at an average of 34.61 and a strike rate of over 147, with a century and 15 fifties to his name. (ANI)

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