How is Rishabh Pant faring on return to Delhi Capitals? Ricky Ponting reveals

Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said captain Rishabh Pant is putting in the hard yards to get the “trust back” in his body for the upcoming IPL season following the horrific accident that sidelined him for 14 months.

Pant suffered a near-fatal accident in December 2022, which led to a year-long recovery phase. In the last 14 months, Pant has missed all forms of cricket including last year’s IPL.

“He (Pant) 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,” said Ponting on the skipper’s approach at the pre-season camp.

“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,” added the former Australian captain.

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Ponting added Pant has the kind of energy that is infectious and makes teammates follow him.

“We all love his infectious attitude and smile around the group. Although he is still young in age, he has actually played a lot of cricket. He sets an example, he has a lot of energy and that’s why other people tend to follow.”

DC director of cricket Sourav Ganguly indicated that Pant’s unconventional batting style 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.

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The former India captain added that Pant had gone through an emotional roller-coaster during his recovery. “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,” Ganguly said.

“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 play their first match of IPL 2024 against Punjab Kings on 23 March.