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On the long road to recovery, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was seen having an animated chat with former India skipper Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma on the sidelines of the 3rd T20I against Afghanistan. Shivam Dube-starrer Team India will meet the visitors for the third and final T20I of the series on Wednesday at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Hosts India have arrived in Bengaluru after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead over the Rashid Khan-less side.
Recovering at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Pant is tipped to make his return for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The DC southpaw and franchise skipper sustained multiple injuries in a serious car accident about 13 months ago. Donning a casual Jordan t-shirt and black shorts, Pant did some shadow batting, and the wicketkeeper also received throwdowns from members of the NCA.
Pant’s cameo in training session paints a worrisome picture
Pant showcased his batting for some 20 minutes in the Chinnaswamy nets before members of the Indian team arrived at the venue for match fitness. Pant also greeted power-hitter Rinku Singh while interacting with several members of the Indian team. As per the visuals, Pant didn’t look 100% as the gloveman hobbled a bit while making a brief appearance at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Pant tore all three key ligaments in his right knee, and the wicketkeeper had three successful reconstructive surgeries in the aftermath of the tragic car crash. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter continues to share regular updates about his fitness journey on social media. Pant was retained by Delhi Capitals for the next season of the IPL. The youngster attended a DC camp in Kolkata last November. Pant also attended the IPL auction in Dubai last year.
Pant will play in the IPL next season: Ganguly
Earlier, DC director of cricket Sourav Ganguly backed Pant to make his return in the IPL 2024. “He’s (Pant) good now. He will play in the IPL next season. There’s still time for him to get down to practice. By January (2024), he’ll get even better,” Ganguly had said during the DC camp at Jadavpur University Salt Lake Campus. Pant missed the entire edition of the IPL 2023, the ICC World Test Championship final and the One Day International (ODI) World Cup. The 26-year-old last played for India against Bangladesh at Shere Bangla National Stadium in December 2022. The explosive batter has played 33 Tests, 30 ODIs and 66 T20Is for India.
