IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant is thrilled about his return to professional cricket!

Young wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, who is leading Delhi Capitals in the 17th season of the Indian Premier League, cannot wait to play his first match after recovering from a life-threatening car accident.

Pant was sidelined for 14 months after he was seriously injured in a horrific car crash. But after a slow and painstaking recovery process, aided by professionals in the National Cricket Academy and outside, Pant has made the full road to recovery and is geared up to play his first competitive match when the Delhi Capitals meet the Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Mohali on March 23.

Speaking to journalists on the eve of the match, Pant gave a sneak-peek into how he was feeling, his mindset and said he was happy to get back to playing cricket. “Jittery, nervous, excited- all of it, but at the same time, happy to be able to come back to professional cricket. I'm just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow (March 23),” Pant said.

Delhi Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting termed Pant the team’s leader and the heartbeat of the Delhi Capitals franchise. “We are about to start an IPL, it's really an exciting time of the year. It becomes more exciting when your captain is back in your team. He is our leader, he is the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger,” Ponting said, on the eve of the Delhi Capitals’ first IPL match against the Punjab Kings.

Pant said his focus is to get better every day and not to think too far ahead at this stage of his comeback. “Every time I take the field, it’s a different feeling altogether. I just wanted to bat as much as I could and get better every day. I don’t think much ahead, I take one day at a time, and give my 100%,” he said.

The Delhi Capitals had a pre-season camp in Visakhapatnam under the watchful eyes of head coach Ricky Ponting, who believes that the team is in great shape. “Make no mistake, we have got a great team this year. Our preparations have been absolutely perfect. We are just looking to top it off today, and make sure we put in a performance that I know would be good enough to win the game tomorrow,” the former Australian World Cup winning captain said.

Ponting admitted that while Pant will be a bit nervous when he takes the field after more than a year, he hopes the player can transform the nerves into a telling performance. “We had a week’s training in Vizag before coming here and trust me Rishabh is back and ready to play. He will be a little bit nervous tomorrow (March 23), playing his first game in a while but nerves are always good because it means something to you. I’ve seen where his game is at, and don’t be surprised if something special happens tomorrow," Ponting exclaimed.