“We Have To Be Extra Careful…”: Rohit Sharma On Rishabh Pant’s Return

Rishabh Pant has become one of the most exciting cricketers in the world, known for his aggressive batting style and fearless wicketkeeping. However, a life-threatening car accident in December 2022 put his career in jeopardy, particularly after major surgeries on his knees. Following the incident, Pant faced a long road to recovery, and India’s management, led by captain Rohit Sharma, has been incredibly cautious about his return to the field.

Rohit Sharma’s Take on Rishabh Pant’s Fitness

Captain Rohit Sharma has emphasized the need to be “extra careful” with Pant’s health, particularly because of the surgeries he underwent. “We all know what he went through,” Rohit mentioned, emphasizing the team’s commitment to protecting Pant from aggravating his injuries. Even when Pant seemed to be performing well, Rohit pointed out that the management was monitoring his fitness closely to ensure that he didn’t push himself too hard.

“He’s had a lot of minor surgeries [and] one big surgery on his knee, and he went through a lot of trauma, to be honest, in the last one-and-a-half years,” Rohit said. “So it’s just about being extra careful, not [just] careful with him.

“When you’re keeping, you have to bend every ball with your knee going down and the wicket being what it was, we thought it is the right thing to do for him to stay inside and then get 100% ready for the next one.”

Incident During the New Zealand Test Match

During the recent Test match against New Zealand, Pant suffered a knock on his right knee while attempting to stump Devon Conway. The incident occurred in the 37th over of New Zealand’s first innings, and Pant immediately winced in pain. The injury seemed to bring back memories of his previous surgeries, and the team decided to take him off the field as a precautionary measure.

Following Pant’s injury, Dhruv Jurel took over the wicketkeeping duties for the remainder of the New Zealand innings. The Indian management was in no rush to get Pant back on the field, as they were mindful of his long-term fitness. Pant’s absence from the field demonstrated the team’s careful approach in managing his recovery, even if it meant temporarily losing one of their key players.

Pant’s Batting Heroics in the Second Innings

Despite the injury, Pant returned to bat in the second innings and played a magnificent knock of 99 runs off 105 balls. True to his nature, Pant was aggressive from the start, hitting nine boundaries and five towering sixes, one of which went out of the stadium.

Rohit Sharma, along with the team’s management, has highlighted the importance of balancing Pant’s natural playing style with his current fitness levels. “He wants to play in a certain way, and we want to back that because he has produced results with that mindset,” Rohit said.