Nasser Hussain hoping for Rishabh Pant’s comeback to competitive cricket in 2024

NEW DELHI: Former England captain Nasser Hussain is hoping India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant makes a successful return to competitive cricket in 2024, after being on the sidelines in 2023.

On December 30, 2022, around 5:30am, Pant miraculously survived when his Mercedes car collided with a divider and caught fire on the Delhi-Dehradun highway while on the way to his hometown Roorkee, Uttarakhand.

He was initially taken to Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre, before being admitted to Max Hospital, Dehradun. The medical update from the BCCI hours after the accident said apart from right knee ligament tear, Pant suffered two cuts on his forehead, and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe apart from abrasion injuries on his back.

On January 4, Pant was shifted to Mumbai via an air ambulance for surgery and further treatment, under direct supervision of Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, the head of the Centre for Sports Medicine, and Director of Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service, at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri West, Mumbai.

Since then, Pant has posted pictures and videos of him being on the long road to recovery, right from walking on crutches to being free of it and doing his rehab plus exercises for being fully fit at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

He also attended Delhi Capitals match against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 on April 4 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi and even met the team during their practice session in Bengaluru.

Pant also batted for a very short period in a friendly game during this year’s Independence Day celebrations organized by the JSW Foundation, co-owners of IPL franchise Delhi Capitals. Earlier this month, Pant also attended IPL 2024 Player Auction for Delhi Capitals in Dubai and even raised the paddle during player bids.

As of now, there has been no official clarity on when Pant will be expected to return to competitive cricket, with multiple reports saying his IPL 2024 participation is in a hopeful capacity. But Hussain wants to see Pant return to the field in time to leave a huge impact in 2024.

"That was such a serious accident. The whole world held its breath and it has been a slow recovery. You follow on social media, on my phone and the initial first walking steps to then scenes in the gym and then scenes of him playing a bit of cricket, scenes of him with Ricky (Ponting)."

"I travelled with Ricky in the summer in the Ashes, and Ricky was texting him ‘how's the progress coming along’, and he is a box office cricketer,” said Hussain in a video posted on ICC.

With Pant sidelined, KL Rahul has stepped up to be India’s primary wicketkeeper-batter and had an excellent tournament at the Men’s ODI World Cup, amassing 452 runs at an average of 75.33. Rahul recently made a strong return to Test cricket with a magnificent 101 in tough batting conditions against South Africa at Centurion. Hussain noted that Rahul has done well in Pant’s absence.

"India have done well without him (Pant) as KL has come in and been brilliant in all formats. They'll continue to be brilliant. They're lucky to have both of them, but Rishabh Pant, before his injury, was box office, and hopefully after his injury, will be box office as well," he added.

Hussain also wishes for opener Shubman Gill to have a great time in 2024 after being amongst leading ODI run-getters this year. "He (Gill) had a very good three quarters, or nine tenths of 2023. You must have learned so much having the likes of Rohit Sharma at the other end."

"He just fell away maybe at the end. Maybe that illness, you know, just got to him a little bit, and he's formed just in a month. We take it far too short when we're in the broadcasting world. He's a super talent, and he's going to be the next sensation for India for years to come. So, hopefully, he'll have a good 2024."