Big blow for India as Rishabh Pant set to miss World Cup 2023

Director of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), Shyam Sharma, disclosed that star batter Rishabh Pant has been doing well while undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. The wicket-keeper batter will probably miss the 2023 Cricket World Cup; however, the left-handed batter is anticipated to play again following the World Cup.

“He’s responding adequately (to the rehab). He can be fine (in terms of fitness) after the ODI World Cup happens (in October-November) and will come out (of the NCA) only after being declared fully fit, whenever it happens,’’ Sharma claimed after meeting with Pant at NCA.

I was there at the NCA for half an hour or so: Sharma

“His ongoing rehabilitation at the NCA is happening very well. He’s doing a lot of exercise also. I was there at the NCA for half an hour or so. He’s being made to do all the exercises related to walking, climbing stairs, and is also walking on the soil or on grass,” Sharma added further.

Notably, India’s top batter, Rishabh Pant, got hurt in a horrible car tragedy as the 25-year-old was on his way back from Delhi on New Year’s Day, December 30, 2022. Pant was hospitalized for several weeks following the incident and received his discharge after an effective surgery to heal the ligament tear in his knee.

Meanwhile, people close to Pant claimed that it is going to take him a minimum of a few months to be able to walk without support, as he was last seen in public with crutches at the Delhi Capitals’ IPL 2023 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. This suggests that Rishabh Pant’s comeback to the field will likely be slow and gradual; nevertheless, it would still be considered a fairly rapid recovery if he makes it back to the field by January.

Rishabh Pant has missed the recently concluded WTC Final against Pat Cummins-led Australia. Pant was missed by fans because of his genuine intentions, audacious shot-making, and sheer enjoyment on the pitch. Notably, Rohit Sharma’s Men in Blue team lost the WTC Final to the Aussies by a huge margin of 209 runs. Notably, Pant, who was the hero of India’s stunning victory at the Gabba, has single-handedly destroyed bowling lineups while targeting Australia in the 2018 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.