'Won't See the Real Rishabh Pant...': Sunil Gavaskar Explains Why India Star Might Struggle During Initial Phase of IPL 2024

Rishabh Pant is set to make his on-field return after spending over a year nursing injuries from a horrific car accident. The wicketkeeper-batter was recently declared fully fit by the BCCI clearing the decks for his participation for the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2024.

Pant was driving alone when his car collided with a divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway on December 30. Initially, he was treated at a local hospital before being airlifted to Mumbai.

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He suffered significant damage to his knee which required surgery and extensive rehabilitation that saw him miss a host of high-profile tournaments including the 2023 ODI World Cup.

He may have regained full fitness but the legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels that it will take Pant some time before getting back to his old self during the IPL.

“It’ll be very difficult. But the good thing is he (Pant) has played some cricket. So he has got some practice. To get fluency in batting is a little tough,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.

“When you talk of a knee injury, the pivoting that takes place. Wicket-keeping is difficult as well, but even in batting, the knee is quite important. So, maybe, in the beginning, we won’t see the real Rishabh Pant that we are used to,” he added.

Gavaskar feels that Pant’s habit of consistently trying to get into the head of the opponents without offending anyone while wicketkeeping adds to the entertainment quotient.

“To find a wicket-keeper like him who comments from behind the stumps, that’s full-on entertainment because there are a lot of wicket-keepers who would like to disturb your concentration by saying different things,” Gavaskar said.

“…..but Rishabh Pant has the ability to say such a thing that whoever he is targeting, they also laugh, they also enjoy it. But when enjoying it, their concentration goes down a bit, right? The advantage is for his team then,” he added.

Gavaskar is also keeping an eye on how Shubman Gill fares in his maiden season as captain of Gujarat Titans.

“That is going to be the most important thing: the way he can handle the captaincy. Will it affect and impact his batting?” Gavaskar said.

“And the second thing is there is a commonality in our initials; both of us are SG’s, and if we go even further, my initials are SMG, and he has Shubh-Man Gill in his name,” he quipped.