‘Disadvantage England ke taklu spinners’ – Fans react as Rishabh Pant likely to return in Test series vs England

India’s star wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant who faced a road accident back in December last year sustained career-ending injuries. However, his grit and determination have led him to recover at a much faster pace than expected, as doctors in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) also claim. However, there is a lot of speculation on his expected return. It is confirmed that it would be impossible for Pant to return in time for the Asia Cup ODI 2023 or the ODI World Cup 2023. However, it has now been reported by Sports Today that the explosive batter can be back for the Test series vs England in the New Year.

Notably, Pant suffered several injuries in his car crash including a severe injury to his right knee. He injured all three ligaments in his right knee and was required to undergo ligament reconstruction surgery. He was under the care of Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and has made considerable progress. He missed out on key tournaments like the World Test Championship and the Indian Premier League 2023. He is also set to miss out on the two biggest multi-lateral events – the Asia Cup 2023 and the OD World Cup 2023.

Rishabh Pant is facing 140+ km/h deliveries in the nets

However, there is a sense of optimism around his camp right now. An NCA report dated August 4 claimed that Pant is now pain-free. He has started batting practise at full throttle alongside facing deliveries over 140 km/h. Further reports also suggested that the Southpaw will be able to come back for the Test series vs England at home in January 2024. That will indeed be a huge boost for team India who have struggled to find a good backup to Rishabh Pant.

Ishan Kishan has been the find closest to Pant’s abilities. However, he also showed his merit against West Indies which is a considerably weaker opposition when it comes to red-ball cricket. His competence against top-class opponents is still a mystery. The experiments with KL Rahul have not been encouraging moreover he is currently injured. KS Bharat is also one of the options India tried but he failed to impress.

Here’s how fans reacted:   

https://twitter.com/Fence__Sitter/status/1691140582817542181