As the speculation goes around the participation of Delhi Capital Captain, Rishabh Pant, in IPL 2024, Sunil Gavaskar has shown confidence in his recovery and believes that his knees will react better once he starts batting more and more in match situations. The former India captain said Pant will find it “very difficult” to showcase his best at the beginning of the tournament.
Pant survived the 2022 horrific accident that caused his prolonged absence from competitive cricket.
He will be leading the Delhi Capitals after undergoing an extensive rehabilitation program and has already had some cricketing action under his belt, which Gavaskar acknowledged.
However, he told ‘Star Sports’ the complexity of returning to form after a knee injury, emphasising the importance of knee movement in both wicket-keeping and batting.
While Pant’s on-field performance may initially differ from his usual standards, Gavaskar recognised the entertainment value he brings with his lively presence and witty commentary from behind the stumps.
Gavaskar highlighted Pant’s delightful talent of engaging commentary from behind the stumps. He said that many wicket-keepers tend to disrupt one’s focus with various remarks. However, Rishabh Pant possesses the knack for delivering comments that elicit laughter and enjoyment from his targets, he added. “But when enjoying it, their concentration goes down a bit, right? The advantage is for his team then,” he added.
Shifting focus, Gavaskar also expressed curiosity about Shubman Gill’s debut as a captain.
Shubman Gill’s captaincy
Gavaskar playfully acknowledged the coincidence of sharing initials with Gill, highlighting their shared SG initials and his additional SMG initials, while Gill’s name contains the phrase “Shubh-Man Gill.”
Talking about Gill’s captaincy, Gavaskar questioned, “That is going to be the most important thing: the way he can handle the captaincy. Will it affect and impact his batting?”
(With PTI inputs)