Sourav Ganguly, the director of cricket for Delhi Capitals, has expressed regret about Rishabh Pant’s absence for the current IPL 2023 season. Although he is missing, Ganguly believes it has opened up a chance for another player to shine. Pant has been out of action since December when he sustained a few injuries in a car accident. In the absence of their usual captain, the team has appointed David Warner, the veteran Australian opener, as the new leader.
DC’s IPL 2023 campaign had a less-than-ideal start as they were defeated by the LSG by 50 runs in their opening match. Speaking at the press conference before the game, Ganguly addressed Pant’s absence, mentioning that:
“Obviously the team will miss Rishabh, but this is an opportunity for others to step up. We will miss him (Rishabh) for the season as players like (Jasprit) Bumrah, Rishabh and Shreyas are not replaceable in franchise tournaments and best are distributed to all teams.
“I see this as an opportunity for someone to become better because Rishabh became better since MS Dhoni stopped playing. That’s the way players are produced. You see (Shubman) Gill getting better, Rutu (Ruturaj Gaikwad) playing well, so it’s an opportunity. Rishabh will be missed but most important is his recovery.”
Delhi’s pursuit of the 194-run goal set against Lucknow in their opening match was thwarted as they were restricted to 143-9, with Mark Wood taking 5-14.
“We can’t pass a judgement on him so quickly”- Ganguly on Sarfaraz Khan
With Pant missing out, Sarfaraz Khan took up the responsibility of wicket-keeping against LSG. When asked if the Mumbai batsman could manage to be a keeper-batsman throughout the season, Ganguly smiled and answered:
“It’s a good question you have asked, and you will see tomorrow. Game has changed, as majority of teams look for keepers who can bat. Because that becomes an all rounder position. Sarfaraz has kept in Hazare Trophy. Poor guy has just kept for 20 overs, and we can’t pass a judgement on him so quickly and basic thought is as we don’t have Rishabh (Pant) who is a batter and a keeper.”
“You have KL (Rahul) and Pooran keeping for LSG, Dhoni for CSK, and all other teams have keepers who contribute with the bat. You try options and because of that, you got KL Rahul; you tried with Pooran. I did with (Rahul) Dravid when I was skipper, and that trend keeps continuing and hope that you get that extra batting option.” He further added.
