India’s leading wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has recovered from injuries sustained in a road accident in December 2022 and has returned to batting practice in the nets. However, he made remarkable progress after several surgeries and ultimately ended up missing his 2023 WTC Final, 2023 Asian Cup, and 2023 ODI World Cup.
In December last year, Rishabh Pant met with a near-fatal accident where his car burst into flames and was destroyed. Mr Pant had abrasions on his back, torn ligaments in his right knee and a scar on his forehead. The southpaw is currently concentrating on strength and conditioning training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after recuperating at his home for several months.
As per a report in Inside Sport, BCCI officials say that Rishabh Pant has been playing well in the nets and needs more time to recover to perform at his best in the match. He says he needs time. If everything goes according to plan, the left-handed wicketkeeper could be available for the home series against Afghanistan.
“It’s still early. It was good that he found the net. But he still needs time. He needs to get back to domestic cricket and get his confidence back. Everything is going well. If things go well, it’s probably possible for him to return for the Afghanistan game. But here too there is no certainty yet,” a BCCI official said.
The 26-year-old will miss the T20I series against Australia after the ODI World Cup and will also miss India’s tour of South Africa in December. However, he is expected to return for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in January and could play a few domestic matches ahead of England’s tour of India in the same month.
Rishabh Pant has become an important member of the team and has improved significantly in his wicket-keeping and batting over the last few years. When things get tough for the team in midfield, he will be missed as he loved to chirp behind the stumps and hand out nuggets.
Vijay Hazare Trophy starts from November 23rd and will be held till December 16th, while the new Ranji Trophy season will start from January 5th and will be played on left-handed wickets. The keeper will play a few matches for the national team, Delhi, before returning to international cricket.
