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Pant is nervous about playing after 15 months
Delhi and Punjab will face each other on Saturday
Chandigarh. Wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant is ready to play his first competitive match against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Saturday after about 15 months. This captain of Delhi Capitals is going through a storm of emotions before this. After being seriously injured in a car accident in December 2022, Pant is ready to take the field, for which he is excited but is feeling a little nervous.
Rishabh Pant said in the press conference organized on the eve of Delhi’s first match, ‘I am nervous, excited, nervous, I am feeling all these but at the same time I am happy that I am back playing professional cricket. I am excited to play in my first match tomorrow. Pant knows that it will take time for him to get back into his old rhythm but he wants to concentrate on one match at a time.
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Talking about Delhi Capitals’ pre-season camp in Visakhapatnam, he said, ‘Every time I am coming on the field, it feels very different. I feel that as a batsman, one should bat for as long as possible. This is also better because the longer I bat, the better position I will be to take shots. I have not played for about one and a half years but the ‘muscle memory’ (muscle movements acquired through practice) is still intact. I have been playing since childhood so it does not go so easily. Therefore, the more I practice, the better chance I will provide to myself as a cricketer.
‘I want to stay in this moment’
He doesn’t want to think too far ahead. He said, ‘I want to remain in this moment only. Not thinking too far ahead. I’m just focusing on taking one day at a time and giving my 100 percent. He also wants to keep things simple for the team. He said, ‘Most of our conversations are very simple. We want to have fun on the field, don’t want to complicate things, want to give 100 percent in every match.
Pant’s comeback was termed as a ‘wonderful’ story.
Team head coach Ricky Ponting termed Pant’s comeback as an ‘amazing’ story which the cricket-obsessed people of India should be proud of. He said, ‘When I met him during the IPL last year, he was on crutches. When we met in Kolkata, he had started walking and was about to start ‘jogging’. Then I met him at the beginning of the camp. Now see where he is. Many people thought that he might not make a comeback but there was no doubt in his heart and mind. It was just a matter of time to return.
‘Rishabh is ready to play’
Ponting feels that if Pant is feeling a little nervous in his first match then it is a good sign. He said, ‘We trained for a week in Visakhapatnam and Rishabh is ready to play. He will be playing his first match tomorrow so he is a bit nervous but that is good because it shows that it is important to you. Our team this year is fantastic. Our preparation has been excellent.
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Tags: Delhi Capitals, IPL, ricky ponting, Rishabh Pant
FIRST PUBLISHED: March 22, 2024, 19:43 IST