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BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Monday declared that Rishabh Pant would be in the scheme of things of India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad if he could keep wickets for the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2024. Then, a release from the board on Tuesday also said he was fit to play as a wicketkeeper-batter for the Capitals.
Pant was involved in a near-fatal car crash in December 2022, which caused major injuries to his knee, ankle and wrist. After multiple surgeries and spending days in the hospital, he underwent over a year of rehab programme, missing all international, franchise and domestic assignments in between.
The news of his return is excellent. He's by far India's best wicketkeeper-batting talent since MS Dhoni with the ability to not just change games but also the paradigm of how cricket could be played.
But should that warrant a straight entry into the World Cup squad? Here's our opinion on why it shouldn't:
#1 India should not take any risk with Rishabh Pant's injury
The first and most important issue here is Pant's health. The IPL would be his first taste of any kind of competitive cricket in over a year. Even without an injury that's a difficult step to take. He went through both physical and mental stress which would take a significant amount of time to overcome.
Medical experts on the board and team physios know how to deal with all major and minor sporting injuries. However, supporting Pant at this time and managing his workload would almost certainly be new. With so much uncertainty in how his body holds up, it's difficult to judge his performance in the IPL.
Even if he scores 600 runs, there would not be any guarantee that his body would be able to hold up to 15-16 IPL matches followed by 6-7 games at a World Cup, just months after recovery. With the kind of player (and also a possible future captain) BCCI would need to show a risk-free approach with minimal workload.
#2 T20 was never his strongest format anyway
In the 12 T20Is before his accident, Pant had a highest score of 27. His position in the batting order was not fixed. As he was a left-hander, India wanted to try him across the batting order. It was more about letting him find the right spot and mojo in the IPL (which he was in the process of doing) and then replicating it for India.
Risking aggravating his injury would be unnecessary because he was never an un-dropable player in the T20I side. This is unlike Jasprit Bumrah who also underwent back surgery which was less serious than Pant's and played multiple white-ball matches before getting selected for the 2023 World Cup.
India need him more for Tests. After the IPL, the BCCI's goal should be to keep him ready for the November Test tour of Australia. He would get more time to be at 100% for when the team needed him the most. It's a win for the Capitals (as they don't have to think about the World Cup), a win for Pant and a win for India.
#3 India has done well to groom players for T20 World Cup
India reacted to Pant's absence well in T20s, even if not so much in Tests until Dhruv Jurel's introduction this year. Ishan Kishan became an integral part of the T20 side, Sanju Samson was kept around and Jitesh Sharma was called-up.
Neither of them have great numbers to show for this period but all have shown promise. Jitesh and Samson especially would fit the floating finisher role like a glove while being adept behind the wickets. It's difficult to see all three of them failing together in the IPL and Pant outshining them completely.
Jitesh's partnerships with Rinku Singh have also been positive. Him as the first 'keeper for the 2024 T20 World Cup, Samson as the backup in the squad (because he can cover multiple positions) with Pant getting fitter and more prepared for the Australia tour should be the way to go after the IPL.
