Rishabh Pant is experiencing an entire gamut of emotions from nervousness to excitement as he gears up for his first competitive game in nearly 15 months when he leads Delhi Capitals in their IPL opener against Punjab Kings here on Saturday.
Coming back after a painstakingly long rehab following a horrific car crash in December, 2022, Pant feels grateful to be back on the 22-yard strip.
"Jittery, nervous, excited...all of it, but at the same time, just happy, being able to come back to professional cricket. I'm just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow," Pant said ahead of his team's first match of the season.
The ace keeper-batter knows that it will take time to get back to his old self and he wants to take one day at a time with extended batting sessions at the DC nets as that will give him a better chance to execute his wide range of strokes.
"Every time I take the field, it's a different feeling altogether. I think, as a batter, as long as I can bat. It is better because the more I bat, I will be in a better position to execute shots, muscle memory is intact even though I haven't played for nearly a year and half," the swashbuckling batter said.
"But I have been playing since childhood, so it doesn't go away that easily. So, the more I practice, the better chance I will give myself as a cricketer," he added.
Having endured a painful break, Pant doesn't want to look too far ahead.
"I just want to be there in the moment. I don't think much ahead. I take one day at a time, and give my 100%. Every time I take field, I love this game more and more," he added while talking about Delhi Capitals' pre-season camp in Visakhapatnam.
Just like his batting, Pant wants to keep his team's approach as simple as possible.
"Most of the conversations are pretty simple. We just want to go out there, have fun, not complicate things and give our 100% in all the games," he said.
Ponting expecting a "Pant Special"
Head coach Ricky Ponting couldn't be happier that his skipper is back where he belongs.
"We are about to start an IPL, it's really an exciting time of the year. It becomes more exciting when your captain is back in your team. Last year, we missed him. He is our leader. He is the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger," Ponting said when asked about Pant's return.
Pant termed Pant's comeback as an "amazing story that cricket loving people of India should be proud of." "When I met him during the IPL last year, he was on his crutches. Then we met at a camp in Kolkata, where he had started walking and was about to start jogging. Then I met him at the start of the camp. Look where he is now.
"Lot of people felt he might not come back but in his heart and mind, he never had those doubts at all. Matter of time for him to come back," the coach said.
Ponting feels that if Pant is a bit nervous going into his first game, it is a good sign.
"He will be a little bit nervous tomorrow, playing his first game in a while but nerves are always good because it means something to you. The day you are not nervous is the day you shouldn't be playing cricket anymore," Ponting was blunt.
The Australian didn't rule out a special effort from the left-hander on his return.
"We had a week's training in Vizag before coming here and trust me Rishabh is back and ready to play. He is batting and moving behind the stumps beautifully. Sometimes he bats too much and I have to drag him out of nets," the coach said in jest.
"I've seen where his game is at, and don't be surprised if something special happens tomorrow. His attitude and smile and what he wants to do for the team is infectious. Everyone wants to be like Rishabh," the Australian said.
The Capitals did their pre-tournament camp in Visakhapatnam as Feroz Shah Kotla was being used for WPL matches and Ponting wanted a good start.
"Make no mistake, we have got a great team this year. Our preparations have been absolutely perfect. We are just looking to topping it off today, and make sure we put in a performance that I know would be good enough to win the game tomorrow," Ponting said.
IPL 2024: From 2 bouncers per over to Smart Replay System, all new rules introduced so far
