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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has backed Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) on their decision not to rush Rishabh Pant. The comments came amid reports Pant will be free from wicketkeeping duties for the first few games in the upcoming edition of the tournament. Gavaskar believes that Pant should only be reinstated as skipper once he gains full fitness.
For the unversed, David Warner led DC in the absence of Pant last season, where they finished ninth in the points table with six wins in 14 games.
During a Star Sports event while interacting with students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ranchi, Sunil Gavaskar was quoted by the Times of India:
"He certainly has the ability to think on his feet. If he gets back to full fitness, the reins of (Delhi Capitals) captaincy should be handed over to him.
"Let's stay hopeful. This season is first of him coming back to full fitness. Let's not rush him into doing something that there will be a setback.”
The 74-year-old further pointed out the significance of the knee for both batting and wicketkeeping, saying:
"Knee plays a pivotal role in batting as well as keeping -- which, of course, he may not do initially. Maybe he won't be the usual Rishabh Pant that we are used to seeing.”
“For me, the most important thing is that he should be healthy like before” – Sunil Gavaskar stresses on importance of match-fitness for Rishabh Pant
Sunil Gavaskar further said that it would be a tough phase for Rishabh Pant to return to his best. The cricketer-turned-commentator, meanwhile, credited the wicketkeeper-batter for beginning training for the cash-rich league:
"I'm also a big fan of him. For me, the most important thing is that he should be healthy like before, so that he can come and entertain us. It will be very difficult for him and it will take some time for him to get that batting fluency. But good that he has started training.”
Pant last played for India against Bangladesh in a Test match in December 2022 before his car accident on December 30.
On the IPL front, Pant has amassed 2838 runs in 98 matches at a strike rate of 147 since joining DC in 2016.
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