Rishabh Pant was reappointed as Delhi Capitals’ captain for IPL 2024 on his comeback after 14 months.
Chandigarh: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting opined he had seen Rishabh Pant bat more in the previous week than in any other season in the lead-up to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pant, who has been announced as the captain for IPL 2024, returned to cricket after 14 months following his horrific car accident on December 30, 2022. The former Australian stated that Pant is putting in extra effort to get the ‘trust back’ in his body.
Following the accident, Pant underwent a couple of ligament surgeries before undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Sharing his thoughts on Pant’s approach ahead of IPL 2024, Ponting said, “He has probably batted more in the last week than he has ever batted leading into most of the IPLs.
“I think from his point of view, he wants to get a bit of trust back in his body again. He has been putting himself through a few different paces and playing all the shots that he plays. He has been great, and more importantly, he has got a smile on his face, which is what all we love to see.”
Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly indicated that Pant’s unconventional style of batting reflected in his captaincy as well. “He is not the conservative type of batter, so you expect that character in his captaincy. Nobody comes as a ready-made captain. You learn as you go and I think captaincy is by instinct.
“I’m looking forward to watching him during the tournament,” said Ganguly. He added that the cricketer had gone through an emotional roller-coaster during his recovery phase. “I’m surprised with the improvements he has made. Hopefully, it’s a good season for him because he has gone through a lot emotionally. It’s never easy when you go through that sort of injury,” said the former BCCI chief.
“It will be great to see him back not just for the Delhi Capitals, but for the Delhi Ranji team and for India as well because he is a special talent, a special player,” added Ganguly. Delhi Capitals will begin their campaign in IPL 2024 against Punjab Kings here on March 23.