Indian Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant went through a horrific car accident in December 2022. The star Indian batter suffered multiple injuries after his car hit into a divider at the Delhi-Dehradun Highway.
Rishabh Pant: Australia’s Biggest Challenge
But Pant’s exceptional faith made him comeback in the cricket arena, he played for the first time after the accident in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 for Delhi Capitals. It is expected that Rishabh Pant will be playing a crucial role in the middle-order for Team India ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Former Australian Skipper Ricky Ponting mentioned about the rise of Pant and his excellent match winning skills.
‘I’ve all seen him play and heard him in the stump mic, he’s an infectious character to have around the group. He loves his cricket, he’s a winner, that’s what he is. He doesn’t just play to make a few runs and be out there for the fun of it. He must have 4 or 5 Test hundreds already and he’s got about nine 90s as well. [MS] Dhoni played for 120 Tests (90) and made 3 or 4 hundreds (6), this is how good this guy (Pant) is. He’s a serious cricketer,” Ponting told Sky Sports.
‘Its A Remarkable Comeback’: Says Ricky Ponting
In Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting was Pant’s coach, he was constantly in touch with Pant during his rehab. Pant overcame all the mental and physical challenges during the course of his recovery.
“Its a remarkable comeback. If you can see even his leg now and listen to the stories he tells about what he confronted during his car accident, just the mental scarring that comes with that but the physical side and the rehab he went through, I didn’t think he would play last year’s IPL (2024)”
Also Read: Duleep Trophy 2024: Live Streaming, Squad Details- All You Need To Know For Round 2
“But 12 months before, he said ‘Don’t worry about me, I guarantee you I’ll be right for the IPL’. We thought he’ll be able to bat and we might have to use him as a sub player (Impact Player) but he kept every game, was one of our leading run-scorers, bats No. 3 in the T20 World Cup and is part of a World Cup winning team and is named in the Test squad now,” he added.
Rishabh Pant In IPL 2024
Rishabh Pant turned out be Delhi Capitals’ highest scorer in IPL 2024. He scored 446 runs in 13 matches with an average of 40.54 and a strike rate of 155.40.
This is third best performance overall in his IPL career, he scored 684 runs in 2018, 488 runs in 2019 and 446 runs in 2024. Pant hit second-highest joint fifties equaling Stubbs- 3 each.
Pant’s Incredible Average Against The Aussies
Rishabh Pant has a great record against the Aussies in Tests. He has accumulated 624 runs from 7 Tests with a fantastic average of 62.40. This tally includes a century and 2 half-centuries.
