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Rishabh Pant made his first public appearance since his car accident in December 2022 when he traveled to the Arun Jaitley Stadium to support Delhi Capitals (DC) during their home game against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Tuesday, April 4.
Pant has been ruled out of the entire 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to multiple injuries he suffered in the car crash. He is currently recovering from his injuries and undergoing rehabilitation.
The wicketkeeper-batter was present in the stands for the entire game and supported his teammates. He looked dapper in a white t-shirt and shorts and had sunglasses on.
Fans were extremely delighted to see Pant back in the stadium and got emotional expressing their thoughts on social media. Many lauded his courage, while others wished him a speedy recovery.
Here are some of the reactions:
It is worth noting that DC head coach Ricky Ponting previously stated that the franchise is trying to bring Pant to the stadium for home games. While the think tank wanted their skipper in the dugout, they didn't get the required permission from the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.
Meanwhile, there is no confirmation yet on whether Pant will be in the stands for all the home games.
The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was last seen in action during India's two-match Test series against Bangladesh last year.
Rishabh Pant's return fails to inspire Delhi Capitals as they go down vs GT
Delhi Capitals suffered their second defeat in IPL 2023 after going down against defending champion Gujarat Titans by six wickets.
DC batters struggled to get going after being asked to bat first by Hardik Pandya. Skipper David Warner failed to capitalize on his start, while debutant Abishek Porel also played a small cameo but departed soon after.
However, it was Axar Patel's quickfire 36 off 22 balls that helped the Capitals post 162/8 in 20 overs.
In response, the Titans were in complete control of the run chase despite losing their openers cheaply. Sai Sudharsan played a mature knock (62* off 48) to see the team through with 11 balls to spare, coupled with David Miller's cameo (31* off 16).
GT now have two wins from as many games and are top of the IPL 2023 points table.
