Bruises all over the body, injuries, fractures and whatnot and it felt like it might be tough for Rishabh Pant to play cricket again. But the Indian wicketkeeper-batter is up on his feet and has returned to the field with the help of medical professionals, goal-oriented rehab and determination within 14 months since the life-threatening car accident and is set to resume Delhi Capitals' captaincy in the 2024 edition of the IPL.
The recovery period was slow and long but Pant is back fully fit which is a heartening yet emotional moment not just for him, the Indian team and the Delhi Capitals but also the fans. Ahead of his return, Pant opened up on his return and was just happy that he is alive.
Speaking on Jio Cinema, Pant when asked about his first feeling said, "I'm happy that I'm alive. That's my first feeling. If you are not even alive, how would you be able to achieve all such things? One of my relatives told me 'Consider yourself lucky that you are alive. That you can walk properly, that you will return to the ground playing.' So, enjoying that is important. Just go with the flow."
Pant remembered his mentor and very close brother-like figure MS Dhoni when asked how he is he feeling about going to the field on March 23 against Punjab Kings for the toss. "There are nerves, there's excitement. Right now, very mixed feelings. So, I don't want to think too much and put pressure mentally. Just keep it simple, [take] one thing at a time. If you focus on cricket. Once Mahi bhai said, 'focus on the core subject.'"
Pant admitted that there was frustration and anger with such a long layoff but after a point, he started focussing more on the journey rather than thinking about the destination. "Whenever there is such a long gap, there will be frustration, that's the part of the journey. We humans are always looking towards the destination but you should enjoy the journey as well. While practising, how does the bat feel in the hand after such a long time, if I am keeping, how does the ball feel in the gloves? When you start enjoying these little things, you can have a positive outlook towards life," he added.
Pant's Delhi Capitals, who missed out on qualification in IPL 2022 and last year as well, will be keen to take his side through to the playoffs this time.
