Rishabh Pant is making extra efforts to get ‘confidence back’ in his body, says Delhi Capital Coach Ricky Ponting

Rishabh Pant, on his comeback after 14 months, was reappointed as captain of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2024.

Rishabh Pant (L) discusses a point with Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly.

Chandigarh: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting opined that he had seen Rishabh Pant bat more in the past week than in any other season in the run-up to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pant, who has been announced as captain for IPL 2024, returned to cricket after 14 months following his horrific car accident on December 30, 2022. The former Australian stated that Pant is making extra efforts to regain ‘confidence’ in his team. body.

After the accident, Pant underwent a number of ligament surgeries before undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Sharing his thoughts on Pant’s approach ahead of the IPL 2024, Ponting said, “He has probably batted more in the last week than ever before, leading to most of the IPLs.

“I think from his point of view he wants to get some confidence back in his body. He’s made himself take some different steps and played all the shots he plays. He was great, and more importantly he has a smile on his face, and that’s what we like to see.”

Delhi Capitals director of cricket and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly indicated that Pant’s unconventional batting style was also reflected in his captaincy. “He is not the conservative type of batsman, so you expect that character in his captaincy. No one comes as a ready-made captain. You learn as you go and I think captaincy is instinctive.

“I am looking forward to seeing him in the tournament,” Ganguly said. He added that the cricketer had gone through an emotional rollercoaster during his recovery phase. “I am surprised by the improvements he has made. Hopefully it’s a good season for him, because he’s been through a lot emotionally. It’s never easy when you sustain an injury like that,” the former BCCI chief said.

“It will be great to see him back, not just for the Delhi Capitals but also for the Delhi Ranji team and also for India because he is a special talent, a special player,” Ganguly added. Delhi Capitals will start their IPL 2024 campaign against Punjab Kings here on March 23.