December 2022 was something Rishabh Pant would not prefer to remember. It will be the same for his fans and his teammates. As a rising star, Pant’s graph was on the good side of the graph, until the sudden turn of events. A horrific car accident that would have ended his life, let alone his career. But Pant returned miraculously in IPL 2024, which he was not expected to play by many.
Ricky Ponting Did Not Think Pant Will Play IPL 2024
Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting was one of the people who didn’t think Rishabh Pant would play in IPL 2024. Speaking on Sky Sports, Ponting wasn’t expecting Pant to play the 2024 edition of the IPL considering the mental and physical scarring that came with the accident and the rehab Pant went through.
But his calculations were wrong. Pant not only played the 2024 season, but he also had a decent performance, and later, he kept the wicket behind the stumps for India in the T20 World Cup and won with the team.
“It’s a remarkable comeback,” said the former Australian captain. “If you can see even his leg now and listen to the stories he tells about what he confronted during his car accident, just the mental scarring that comes with that but the physical side and the rehab he went through, I didn’t think he would play last year’s IPL (2024).”
“But 12 months before, he said ‘Don’t worry about me, I guarantee you I’ll be right for the IPL’. We thought he’ll be able to bat and we might have to use him as a sub-player (Impact Player) but he kept every game, was one of our leading run-scorers, bats No. 3 in the T20 World Cup, and is part of a World Cup winning team and is named in the Test squad now,” he added.
“It’s a remarkable comeback and we’ve all seen him play and heard him in the stump mic, he’s an infectious character to have around the group. He loves his cricket, he’s a winner, that’s what he is,” said Ponting.
Pant is included in India’s Test squad vs Bangladesh along with another wicketkeeper-batter, KL Rahul. The India vs Bangladesh series will start on September 19.
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