"I absolutely love the bloke, I told him that on the phone the last couple of days" - Ricky Ponting on Rishabh Pant 

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed his admiration for Rishabh Pant, who is currently recovering from a harrowing car crash he sustained on December 30. The pair have developed a strong bond over the years while working together for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Pant was recently transferred to Mumbai for further course of treatment, which is being handled by the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) medical team. He was initially admitted to the Max Hospital in Dehradun and was airlifted after an initial leg of hospitalization.

Due to the delicate nature of his injuries, which include multiple ruptures to his knee ligaments, a particular timeframe for his return to cricket is yet to be accurately determined.

Wishing the wicketkeeper a speedy recovery, Ponting revealed that he conveyed his best to the youngster through phone calls over the last few days. The former Aussie captain told the International Cricket Council (ICC):

“I absolutely love the bloke, I told him that on the phone the last couple of days. t was a horrifying time, a really scary time for everybody, let alone him. Anyone that knows him loves him – he’s a really infectious young guy that has the world at his feet still.So we will keep our fingers crossed and hope that he can get back to playing sooner rather than later.”

Newly appointed Delhi Capitals director of cricket Sourav Ganguly ruled out Pant's participation in IPL 2023. While no official announcement has been made yet, DC are exploring new captaincy and wicketkeeping candidates, with David Warner reportedly being approached for the former role.

In terms of wicketkeeping options, the Capitals have IPL 2023 mini-auction acquisition Phil Salt as a candidate in addition to the in-form Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Branding Pant as an irreplaceable player and confirming that DC are indeed looking for potential options in the market as cover, Ponting said:

"You can’t replace those guys, simple as that. They don’t grow on trees, players like that. We’ve got to look at – and we already are – a replacement to come into the squad, a wicketkeeper-batsman.”

IPL 2023 is slated to begin on March 31 or April 1 according to multiple reports. It is to be noted that Pant has not been named in the Test squad for the first two matches of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

KS Bharat retains his place in the Test squad while Ishan Kishan has been rewarded with a maiden red-ball call-up.

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“I want him sitting beside me in the dugout every day of the week” - Ricky Ponting wants Pant at IPL 2023 even if he is not fit to play

Rishabh Pant has been an integral part of the franchise since making his IPL debut in 2016. He has evolved as a match-winner and was eventually given the role of DC's captaincy as well.

Admitting that he wants Pant in the dugout during IPL 2023, even if he is not fit and cannot play, Ricky Ponting said:

“If he’s actually not physically fit enough to play, we’d still love to have him around. “He’s the sort of cultural leader around the group, being the captain, and that attitude and infectious smile and laugh he has is what we all love so much about him.

"If he’s actually able to travel and be around the team, then I want him sitting beside me in the dugout every day of the week."

Meanwhile, the first India-Australia Test will start on February 9.

How big of a miss would Rishabh Pant prove to be for the Indian team as well as the Delhi Capitals in the IPL? Let us know what you think.

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