Rishabh Pant bats at nets, shows improved fitness; links with India teammates | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant on Tuesday offered further indications of enhanced fitness and match readiness as he spent about 20 minutes batting at the Chinnaswamy nets before his Indian teammates commenced their practice.
Dressed in black shorts and a T-shirt, Pant took on throwdowns from NCA staff, showcasing crisp drives on the off-side and executing subtle nudges to the on-side.

After a brief exchange with the Indian team’s side-arm specialist Raghu, Pant went on to interact with other members such as Virat Kohli and Rinku Singh.

Currently recuperating from a serious car accident in late 2022, Pant is undergoing recovery at the NCA, which involved ligament reconstruction surgeries.
The talented cricketer is anticipated to make his return to action during the IPL 2024, where he has been appointed as the captain of the Delhi Capitals.
The 26-year-old had attended the Capitals camp in November last year, besides being present at the franchise’s auction table at Dubai in December.

(TOI Photo)
Sourav Ganguly, the Capitals’ director of cricket, too had exuded confidence in Pant’s return in this year’s IPL.
“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’s last appearance for India was in a Test match against Bangladesh at Mirpur in December 2022.
Meanwhile, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) felicitated the Cooch Behar Trophy U19 team members on Tuesday with India head coach Rahul Dravid meeting the budding players.
Karnataka won the event on Monday by virtue of their first innings lead over Mumbai.
(With PTI Inputs)