In a positive boost to his recovery, Rishabh Pant returned to action as he was spotted batting in a practice match in Bengaluru on Tuesday, August 15. The star cricketer is on the sidelines due to injuries he received during a horrific car accident in December last year but is making remarkable progress at National Cricket Academy (NCA).
The 25-year-old wicketkeeper batter has shown positive signs since he joined NCA to recover from his injuries. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the player's return to practice nets earlier this month. Pant has already started batting and wicketkeeping in the nets and the staff at NCA is also monitoring his strength and conditioning program.
Now a video of Pant batting in a practice game at JSW's Vijaynagar Plant on Independence Day has triggered the Indian cricket fans over the player's potential return to the pitch. In the video below, Pant is batting confidently and fans can see his rapid recovery from the injuries but it is not clear whether he did wicketkeeping in the match.
In another development, the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals shared a video of Rishabh giving a speech on Independence Day. Rishabh talked about his love for the game and its role in his life.
"Once you keep growing older and older, you stop loving the game. One of the reasons is that there is a lot of pressure, you want to excel in your life, do this and do that. But yaar, who enjoyment nahi miss karna hai life mein (we cannot miss the enjoyment in our life)," Rishabh was spotted saying in a video shared by Delhi Capitals on August 16.
However, it will be too early to predict Rishabh's return to international cricket as it is likely to take months before he recovers fully and regains match fitness. He will surely miss the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 and fans might not see him in competitive cricket this year at all.
