Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting on Thursday said skipper Rishabh Pant is putting in extra effort to get the “trust back” in his body for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) following the horrific accident that sidelined him for 14 months.
India wicketkeeper-batter Pant suffered a near-fatal accident in December 2022, which resulted in a year-long recovery phase and forced him to skip 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.”
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Ponting added that 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, 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 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.
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“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 will begin their campaign in the IPL against Punjab Kings here on March 23.
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