Ajay Jadeja explains why Rishabh Pant’s injury is a blessing in disguise for wicketkeeper batter

Former India captain Ajay Jadeja believes that Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s injury is a blessing in disguise for him. He said that even though it’s sad for him to miss a lot of cricket in the upcoming months, Pant will have plenty of time to reflect on his game.

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Jadeja said:

“It’s sad to see a young man gonna lose out on a period of time, but in the hindsight, you look at it and say something good will come out of it. This will be probably the first time he’ll time have to sit and think about his game, life, what’s happening.”

He continued:

“What happens with most of us is you start playing at the age of 12-15. You just are on this roll, playing cricket day in and out. You keep getting picked here and there. There is never time to think.”

The left-hander made his T20I debut in February 2017. Since 2018, he has been a regular member of the Indian team across formats. He, however, was left out of India's T20I and ODI squads against Sri Lanka following a lean patch in white-ball cricket.

For the uninitiated, he suffered a car accident on the Delhi-Dehradun highway on December 30. He was treated for multiple injuries at Max Hospital in Dehradun.

On Wednesday, he was airlifted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He will undergo surgery and subsequent procedures for ligament tears.

BCCI’s update on Pant’s injury:

“Rishabh has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back.”

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“A lot of players after injury have come out much, much better” – Ajay Jadeja on Rishabh Pant

Jadeja expressed gratitude to see the southpaw was safe following the road accident. He believes that Pant will come out as a better player after rehabilitation.

On this, he said:

“It's never good to get injured and this was probably the worst way to get injured. Luckily, he is safe. What happens in an injury is that’s the first time when you go to doctors. There is a rehab system that comes. That’s probably the first time a sportsman ever works with something with a system.”

He added:

“I feel he’s stuck where he was four years ago, so maybe, because a lot of players after injury have come out much, much better players and better human beings, so I hope that’s the case with him.”

Pant is all set to miss the upcoming four Tests against Australia in February-March at home. The Delhi Capitals (DC) captain might also miss out on the entire IPL 2023. David Warner and Prithvi Shaw are the leading contenders for the leadership role.