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The much-awaited return to competitive cricket of star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is set to cross the most crucial milestone on March 5, the day when the National Cricket Academy (NCA) is set to declare him fully fit for a comeback, according to Sourav Ganguly.
Former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who is now Director of Cricket at Delhi Capitals, revealed the latest update on Pant while talking to TOI in an interview.
“He has done everything to get fit and that’s the reason NCA will clear him,” said Ganguly, responding to a question if Pant or someone else will captain the Delhi side in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season beginning March 22.
“Let Rishabh get cleared on March 5, only then we’ll talk about captaincy backups. We are taking a cautious approach with him because he has a very long career ahead of him. We don’t want to push him in excitement. We will see how Rishabh reacts. He will be joining the camp once NCA gives him the clearance. We will see match by match. We can’t predict,” said Ganguly.
Pant is returning from a layoff of more than a year since his horrific high-speed car accident, which required multiple surgeries and extensive rehab. There is a strong possibility that Pant will play solely as a batsman under the ‘Impact Player’ rule in the intial phase of the IPL.
“As for wicketkeeping options, there’s Kumar Kushagra. Ricky Bhui has had a very good season. There is Shai Hope and Tristan Stubbs,” Ganguly added.
“Rishabh coming back fit is a huge addition for us. We hope he plays the full season because he is a very special player. We have worked on some domestic players who have done well in all formats, but Rishabh is very important.”
The 2024 season of the IPL begins on March 22. The BCCI has so far finalized fixtures of the first 21 matches to be played till March 7. The remaining fixtures will be decided by the BCCI after the government announces the dates of the general elections.
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