Team India received some bad new on Tuesday as wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is all but ruled out of the ICC 50-over World Cup 2023 which will get underway in October this year. Pant was involved in a horrific car accident in the end of December last year and has undergone multiple surgeries to recover from it.
According to a report in Cricbuzz website, Pant’s return to the field won’t be before January this year. As a result, Delhi Capitals regular skipper will be ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023 in September and the ODI World Cup in October-November.
Pant was recently seen during the Delhi Capitals IPL 2023 matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi walking with the help of crutches and those close to him reveal that he will take at least a couple of weeks to walk without any help.
“The general impression is that he is recovering faster than anticipated, but it will take seven to eight months to be cricket-fit. That said it could take even longer for him to do the wicketkeeping and the initial comeback period will have to be solely as a batter, which is still considered an asset,” the Cricbuzz report stated.
The 25-year-old Pant has a strike-rate of over 106 in ODI cricket with 865 runs in 30 matches including 1 century and 5 fifties. In 33 Tests, Pant has scored 2,271 runs at an average of 43.67 with 5 hundreds and 11 fifties.
“At one stage after the accident, it was thought whether he would be back on the field at all and whether he will be able to keep at all, but there is now some optimism on the 25-year-old’s return to the field,” the report stated.
Pant is showing a lot of determination to return to action and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is extending all possible medical assistance. The BCCI previously said, “(It) will make every effort to aid and expedite the recovery process of Rishabh and will provide him with all the support he needs during this period.”
In an Instagram story, Pant posted an image of his recovery from National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Recent IG story of Rishabh Pant ____ @RishabhPant17
Happy to see him, he is recovering well _ #RishabhPant pic.twitter.com/uP6sGdsEpo
— Cult 18 (@vk_Cult03) April 25, 2023
Pant underwent surgery for ligament tears in January and is under the care of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, head, the Centre for Sports Medicine, and director - Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai. There is a possibility he may undergo another surgery.
Pant suffered a road accident on December 30 last year and has been out of action since. He last represented India in a Test in Bangladesh in December.
