Rishabh Pant is back in cricket. The wicketkeeper-batter has begun playing warm-up matches as part of rehabilitation. In one such match arranged by the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Pant played a match in Alur near Bengaluru. And that’s good news for Delhi Capitals as Rishabh Pant is nearing a return to competitive cricket and could be fit for IPL 2024.
After a near-fatal car crash on Dec 30, 2022, Rishabh Pant has been out for 15 months. He had his ligament in the right knee reconstructed. Earlier this month, BCCI sent Rishabh to London to consult a specialist.
No wicketkeeping yet
However, as per a Cricbuzz report, Rishabh Pant won’t be keeping wickets anytime soon. He will return solely as a batter for Delhi Capitals.
While Rishabh Pant may not feature in IPL 2024 as a wicketkeeper batter, he is definitely not letting go of practice. He posted a video of him with some keeping drills at the NCA.
But despite returning as a batter, he is set to replace David Warner as the Delhi Capitals captain in IPL 2024. Warner led DC last season with Rishabh Pant out.
Latest on IPL 2024
The good news is that Rishabh Pant does not have any problems with mobility. He has done the running drills well. There was no problem in running between the wickets either. However, since he had a major surgery to reconstruct all three ligaments on the right knee, wicketkeeping is still some time away. The reason being Pant will have to stand in a squatting position during a match.