Rishabh Pant is experiencing an entire gamut of emotions from nervousness to excitement as he gears up for his first competitive game in nearly 15 months when he leads Delhi Capitals in their IPL opener against Punjab Kings on Saturday.
Coming back after a painstakingly long rehab following a horrific car crash in December 2022, Pant feels grateful to be back on the 22-yard strip.
“Jittery, nervous, excited...all of it, but at the same time, just happy, being able to come back to professional cricket. I’m just looking forward to playing my first game,” Pant said ahead of his team’s first match of the season.
The ace keeper-batter knows that it will take time to get back to his old self and he wants to take one day at a time with extended batting sessions at the Capitals’ nets.
“Every time I take the field, it’s a different feeling altogether. I just wanted to bat as much as I could and get better every day. I don’t think much ahead, I take one day at a time, and give my 100 per cent,” he added while talking about Delhi Capitals’ pre-season camp in Visakhapatnam.
Just like his batting, Pant wants to keep his team’s approach as simple as possible.
“Most of the conversations are pretty simple. We just want to go out there, have fun, not complicate things and give our 100 per cent in all the games,” he said.
Head coach Ricky Ponting couldn’t be happier that his skipper is back where he belongs.
“We are about to start an IPL, it’s really an exciting time of the year. It becomes more exciting when your captain is back in your team. He is our leader. He is the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger,” Ponting said when asked about Pant’s return.
Ponting feels that if Pant is a bit nervous going into his first game, it is a good sign and he didn’t rule out a special effort on the left-hander’s return.
“We had a week’s training in Vizag before coming here and trust me, Rishabh is back and ready to play. He will be a little bit nervous, playing his first game in a while, but nerves are always good because it means something to you. I’ve seen where his game is at, and don’t be surprised if something special happens tomorrow (Saturday),” he said.
Punjab will hope that there’s no Pant “special” on Saturday and will instead bank on their home conditions — they will play at their new home ground in Mullanpur — to begin their campaign on a winning note.
Led by Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab will need to bat well against a strong Capitals bowling attack, which includes wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is in fine form.
In bowling, Punjab will hope Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada are in full swing.
