CHENNAI: "All of the above... Jittery, nervous, excited...all of it." That is what Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant said when asked how he felt ahead of his team's opening game against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur on Saturday.
The reason is obvious. Almost after a year-and-a-half since a life-threatening car accident, Pant will be making a comeback to competitive cricket. Understandably, he was just "happy, being able to come back to professional cricket."
At the time of the accident in the wee hours of December 2022 morning in Dehradun, playing cricket for Pant was not even a discussion. Surviving the crash was the first objective. He was shifted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital where he underwent a surgery on the right knee. The biggest concern then was whether he would be able to walk as a normal human being. Pant, being the fighter that he is, endured it all.
He made his first public appearance during the IPL game between DC and Gujarat Titans in April last year. At that time his knee was strapped. DC head coach Ricky Ponting still remembers seeing Pant in crutches. The long rehab continued at the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru as he slowly started walking and jogging. "When I met him during the IPL last year, he was on crutches. Then we met at a camp in Kolkata, where he had started walking and was about to start jogging. Then I met him at the start of the camp. Look where he is now," Ponting said.
For an elite athlete to come back from a sporting injury is one thing, but to return after a life-threatening injury is a different thing altogether. Even as he was getting ready to captain and keep wickets for DC, Pant's focus was on his batting. The clippings of the one-handed slogs and falling-over sweeps made a comeback on social media in the last week. "I think, as a batter, as long as I can bat. It is better because the more I bat, I will be in a better position to execute shots, muscle memory is intact even though I haven't played for nearly a year and half. But I have been playing since childhood, so it doesn't go away that easily. So, the more I practice, the better chance I will give myself as a cricketer. And the rest of it, I am having fun doing everything. That is important for me. To enjoy, to be happy and to give 200 per cent on the ground," he said.
While Pant the batter will be itching to get back on the field, keeping wickets could be a challenge. All eyes will be on Pant the keeper. His fitness will shape the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. But it will not be easy as Ajay Ratra, former India keeper, explained. "It is always difficult because he is coming back from an injury to the knee because wicketkeeping involves sideways movement and a lot of crouching as well," Ratra told this daily.
"These days they can manage against pacers, but for spinners, you have to crouch to keep your hands low. This is T20, it is shorter than ODI or Test. It is not that long compared to 50 overs or 90 overs. In that way it is good for him that he is making a comeback in the shortest format. I think he can gradually take up the load. And I am sure the BCCI and NCA would keep an eye on his day to day activities and also how he feels after a practice session and a match, he has done a lot of training and tests, but maybe in a competitive cricket we have to get over some mental barrier as well. I think the first 2-3 games are very crucial for him," he added.
However, Ratra, having seen Pant closely in the DC setup, believed that Pant will thrive when he faces challenging situations. "He likes that challenge. If you are leading a franchise team at the highest level, a lot of overseas players, star players, captains are playing and it is not easy, but he likes it. He is quite popular around the team, gets the best out of players," said the former DC assistant coach.
That being said, it is only understandable if there are nerves when Pant walks on to the field on Saturday. To face a car accident could be a life-altering experience, it puts things in perspective so much that one might not be the same person again. What Pant went through in the past year seems to have given him the maturity he would have gained in decades. He knows what he has missed on the career front, whether it is the ODI World Cup, a year's worth of elite level cricket when he was at his peak and more than anything, he could not even step on to the field and do what he loved doing all his life.
Despite him being the same calm-headed, fun-loving athlete and an extremely talented cricketer, Pant might not be the same. "Every time I take the field, it's a different feeling altogether," Pant said. "When you are out for one-and-a-half years or more from the thing that I love the most, I think there are no words to describe the feeling when I enter the field. I would say even in practice games and NCA every time I take the field, it is just a different feeling for me, I just love the game more and more," Pant added.
Ponting said that the nerves will only do good for Pant. "The day you are not nervous is the day you shouldn't be playing cricket anymore," the Australian said, before adding, "We had a week's training in Vizag before coming here and trust me Rishabh is back and ready to play. He is batting and moving behind the stumps beautifully. Sometimes he bats too much and I have to drag him out of the nets. I've seen where his game is at, and don't be surprised if something special happens tomorrow (Saturday)."
When Pant walks out for a toss at the Mullanpur Stadium, despite the jitters, nerves and excitement, he will have his trademark smile on his face, wanting to make things happen for Delhi. And as Ponting said, it's infectious. After all, it is not often you see someone defy a near-death accident and then come back to play at the highest level. As much as everyone would hope and wish that this is a beginning of a special chapter in Pant's life and career, that he has come back, he is playing cricket again is testament to his resilience. And for that, the entire cricketing fraternity will cheer for him every time he takes the field again.