India's wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant is undergoing treatment for the injuries he suffered during a horrific car accident in the early hours of December 30. The Indian cricketer has reportedly undergone surgery on the medial collateral ligament and a minor repair on the anterior cruciate ligament. Pant is likely to remain out of cricket action for some months and was earlier ruled out of the Indian Premier League 2023. However, the Delhi Capitals coach wants his captain to be around the team in IPL 2023.
Speaking on the ICC Review show, the former Australian captain stated that it is very difficult to replace players like Pant and wants the wicketkeeper to be with the team throughout the tournament. "You can't replace guys like Pant, simple as that. They don't grow on trees, players like that. We've got to look at, and we already are, looking at a replacement to come into the squad, a wicketkeeper-batsman," Ponting said.
Rishabh Pant leads Delhi Capitals in IPL
He added that if Pant is not fit to play, he would like to have him around the team. "If he is actually not physically fit enough to play, we'd still love to have him around. He's the sort of cultural leader around the group he is the captain, and that attitude and infectious smile and laugh he has, is what we all love so much about him," Ponting said
The Australian added, "If he's actually able to travel and be around the team, then I want him sitting beside me in the dugout every day of the week. I'll certainly be making sure, come the middle of March when we get together in Delhi and start our camps and stuff, if he's able to be there, then I want him around the whole time."
Earlier, Delhi Capitals' newly elected Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals Sourav Ganguly confirmed Pant will be out of the IPL 2023. As per Rishabh Pant's medical condition, the Indian batter can be sidelined for at least the next six months and this might impact his selection based on fitness for the ODI World Cup which is scheduled to take place in India in October-November. Recently, Pant underwent knee surgery after his right ligaments were damaged in an accident. Pany survived a serious accident when he was driving from Delhi to his hometown Rourkee but lost control on the NH-58 highway before hitting the divider. He sustained cuts on his forehead, have a severely bruised back along with injuries on his knee and ankle.
