Rishabh Pant has revealed that he wanted to get fit before the start of the Test series against England and thanked the BCCI and National Cricket Academy (NCA) for playing a big role in his recovery.
Pant, who had been absent from the cricket field since his car accident in December 2022, was declared fit to play in the IPL 2024 on March 12. However, the wicketkeeper-batter has now revealed in an exclusive interview with TOI that the original plan was to be fit before the start of the five-match series against Ben Stokes and his side.
Pant said he was anxiously waiting to be declared fit. The wicketkeeper also said that the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah took personal interest in his recovery and they didn’t want to rush him to play Test matches.
Pant said that his workload was built up slowly and suggested he should start with the shortest format of the game.
“I was anxious waiting to be declared fit. I was trying to get fit before the Test series against England. BCCI and NCA were very helpful. BCCI secretary Jay Shah took personal interest. They didn’t want to rush me to the longest format. They slowly built up the workload. That was the best part of the recovery. You have to appreciate if someone takes care of you like that. They suggested that I start with T20s and then increase the workload,” said Pant.
This was the thing we were waiting for: Pant on BCCI announcement
Pant was clearly ecstatic after BCCI made the announcement that he would be ready for the IPL 2024 and said it was something everyone was working for. The wicketkeeper said he was eager to be on the field after the lengthy layoff.
“Amazing feeling. This was the thing we were waiting for. It’s been so long. I think you can still cope with a layoff of three to six months. But when it goes beyond that, it starts taking a toll. I just want to go out there and play and have fun. Not thinking about the future too much, because (then) you put too much pressure on yourself. Looking forward to each day as it comes,” said Pant.
Pant will be back in action when Delhi Capitals face Punjab Kings on March 23 in Mohali.
