Rishabh Pant is back on the IPL grind, chasing another India comeback

Rishabh Pant is in the tenth year of his international cricket career. He has been fueling heated debates for the past nine years. The eyes yearn for him even if he is not part of the Indian team. Last week, when videos of Pant practicing in Mumbai and Chennai surfaced, he spoke on social media, a few days before India became the first team to defend the T20 World Cup title.

This could be a defining year for Pant, starting with the IPL. He has not been a part of India’s white-ball team since winning the T20 World Cup in June 2024. In fact, he has played only two T20Is and one ODI after Gautam Gambhir took over as the coach of the Indian team. He has always been a backup wicketkeeper in the ODI format. As India begins preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, a good IPL could keep him ahead of the likes of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson.

Since recovering from a side strain he suffered in the second week of January, he has been traveling the country for high-quality training sessions.

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Pant’s preparations go beyond fighting to earn his place in India’s white-ball XI or justify the tag of being the most expensive player of the IPL. That he spent four tough days with Yuvraj Singh in Mumbai may seem like he is just following in the footsteps of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. Unlike Samson, who went to rekindle his talent ahead of the T20 World Cup, Pant approached Yuvraj to clear the fog from his mind.

Pant and Yuvraj have shared a strong bond for several years. But the bond deepens as Pant survives a horrific car accident in December 2022. Both touch death and return to play in India where few give them a chance at a normal life. They have a similar outlook on life. For Pant, spending time with Yuvraj was more about convincing himself about his approach than working on the technical aspects of the game.

Those who have followed Pant during his endless bench warming with India’s white-ball team will tell you that he puts himself through phases of training – both in the nets and off the field. Lucknow Super Giants recently posted a video of 21-year-old Mukul Choudhary batting while waiting for almost two hours for Pant to come out of the nets. Soham Desai, India’s former strength and conditioning coach, mentioned how Pant used to drag him to the gym whenever he was free, without taking care of work-management plans during the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai.

Former national selector Devang Gandhi, who was part of the committee that promoted Pant, pointed out that Pant has the ability to bounce back from difficult situations. “He has been under a lot of scrutiny. But he has made a remarkable turnaround. He helped India win the Test series in Australia in 2020-21 after being asked to warm the bench for most of the tour. He had a broken IPL after coming back from an accident before coming into a tough India squad for the T20 World Cup in 2024. He also had a great England series in Australia after the England series and a very good series. in Australia last year. IPL These are indications that Pant is very strong mentally,” Gandhi told TOI.

One would expect Pant to bat at number 3 for LSG this season after enduring a forgettable season last year at the bottom of the order. Pant’s decision to bat in the middle has baffled experts since Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid used him at number 3 in the T20 World Cup.

“He will have to face a lot of balls in the innings. I hope he will eliminate the risk associated with hitting reverse sweeps and good ramps. He has a strong technique and can play pace and jump better than many in India. That is what you will be looking for when you are facing high-class fast bowling in South African conditions. From any videos I have seen on social media, it looks like Yuraj will help his men,” said Yura. Gandhi replied.

Pant has had a break to work on his cricket and is new to the IPL, which is a luxury for an Indian cricketer. The preps were done. He is yet to be killed and regain his place in the Indian white ball setup.