"Sometimes when you hurry the process you end up doing more damage" - Robin Uthappa urges Rishabh Pant to take his time during cricketing return

Robin Uthappa has opined that Rishabh Pant could end up aggravating his injuries in a bid to make a rushed comeback after his complicated set of injuries following an unfortunate car accident in December 2022.

Pant has arguably been restless on the sidelines, waiting for an avenue to make his highly-anticipated comeback. While he expressed his desire to bat, lead, and keep wickets for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming 2024 edition, the franchise recently confirmed that Pant will feature only as a batter in the first half of the tournament.

His performances in the IPL, which will be his first on the cricketing field in over 15 months, will decide his place in the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. There will be a lot of keen eyes on him during his return, deciphering his every movement as the Indian team management will not be keen on rushing him back, given the complex nature of his injuries.

Uthappa also feels that Pant should not exert himself while rushing the process to make it back into the national side.

"Well as far as Rishabh Pant is concerned, it all depends on his fitness and how he recovers from what has been a tough year and a half for him. I think, we should send all those energies to him that he recovers and comes back to his best. It’s good to see He’s back in the nets, he’s hitting the ball well, doing center wicketkeeping practice. He shouldn’t rush the process," Uthappa said in an interaction with InsideSport.

"It’s hard to stay out of the game for so long, especially when you are super competitive and you want to perform and win matches. But sometimes when you hurry the process you end up doing more damage and go back to the wait line which is more frustrating. I really hope he takes his time to comeback and when he does he comes out good," Uthappa added.

Pant was already struggling with a knee injury in 2022, which was worsened by the impact during the accident. He underwent multiple surgeries to repair torn ligaments and has been ramping up his training to be fully fit in time for the 2024 IPL, which begins on March 22.

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"For Dhruv, as far as T20 is concerned, he has to wait" - Robin Uthappa

In Rishabh Pant's prolonged absence from the team, there has been a slew of candidates, who have kept wickets for India across formats. The likes of Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, KS Bharat, Jitesh Sharma, and Dhruv Jurel have all had a go recently, with the potential vacant spot in the World Cup squad also on the horizon.

Dhruv Jurel, the most recent candidate out of the entire lot, has made a solid initial impression in the ongoing Test series against England. Coming in place of KS Bharat, the wicketkeeper-batter was awarded the player of the match for his heroics in the fourth Test in Ranchi.

Despite the promising start to Jurel's international career, Uthappa feels that he will have to wait for his opportunity in the shortest format.

“As far as Dhruv Jurel is concerned, there is a lot happening in Indian cricket. We have seen a lot of moving pieces in the last couple of months. Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat has also been in the mix. We’ll have to see how the IPL goes. Kl Rahul is also a keeper, T20 World Cup player. How does KL fit in the mix given his injuries and hopefully he recovers soon. For Dhruv, as far as T20 is concerned, he has to wait. But it is incredible what he has achieved at the national level,” Uthappa stated

Jurel has showcased his ability in the shortest format with a set of quickfire cameos as an impact player for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2023.