Delhi Capitals head coach and Director of Cricket, Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly are delighted to have Rishabh Pant back and feel that his presence would bring a change in the fortunes of the side.
Ponting who has been in charge of Capitals for a very long time has seen Pant prepare for several IPL seasons but mentioned that he hasn't seen the southpaw prepare as hard for an IPL season as he has done this time around.
"He (Pant) has probably batted more in the last week than he has ever batted leading into most of the IPLs. I think from his point of view, he wants to get a bit of trust back in his body again," Ponting was quoted as saying by PTI.
"He has been putting himself through a few different paces and playing all the shots that he plays. He has been great, and more importantly, he has got a smile on his face, which is what all we love to see," added Ponting.
Ponting mentioned that Pant has already played a lot of cricket at such a young age and "sets an example" that his teammates tend to follow.
"We all love his infectious attitude and smile around the group. Although he is still young in age, he has actually played a lot of cricket. He sets an example, he has a lot of energy and that's why other people tend to follow," said Ponting.
DC's Director of Cricket, Ganguly, mentioned that Pant is far from conservative in his batting approach and that reflects in how he leads the team on the field of play.
"He is not the conservative type of batter, so you expect that character in his captaincy. Nobody comes as a ready-made captain. You learn as you go and I think captaincy is by instinct. I'm looking forward to watching him during the tournament," said Ganguly.
Ganguly wants Pant to enjoy a great season for Capitals and also expressed surprise at the kind of rapid improvements Pant has made since the horrific car crash that put him on the sidelines.
"I'm surprised with the improvements he has made. Hopefully, it's a good season for him because he has gone through a lot emotionally. It's never easy when you go through that sort of injury.
"It will be great to see him back not just for the Delhi Capitals, but for the Delhi Ranji team and for India as well because he is a special talent, a special player," added Ganguly.
