IPL 2024: Pant has shown patience, positivity and tolerance, he will do wonders for himself, country, says Shikhar Dhawan

Mumbai: Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan believes that Rishabh Pant will do wonders for himself and the country considering the patience, positivity and tolerance the young wicketkeeper-batter has shown while recovering from a near-fatal accident during a 14-month rehabilitation period.

Pant has been declared fit to play in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday and is all set to represent Delhi Capitals in the season. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter has not played competitive cricket ever since surviving a near-fatal car crash on December 30, 2022, while on the way to his hometown Roorkee. In Pant’s long absence, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma have emerged as wicketkeeping options in the shortest format for India.

At the 'Star Nahi Far' event organised by Star Sports for IPL 2024, Dhawan reflected on Pant's remarkable recovery from a severe injury. Dhawan expressed his joy at witnessing Pant's return to action and highlighted the resilience and determination demonstrated by the young cricketer.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports at the ‘Star Nahi Far’ event, Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan spoke on Rishabh Pant’s journey back to fitness and how he has recovered from his injury. “I am very happy and excited to see Rishabh Pant back in action. He has survived such a fatal accident, all thanks to God. In this last year, he has worked so hard and shown such positive intent. He was in such pain that he wasn’t even able to move or do anything for the first few months. Even for the toilet, he needed someone’s assistance," Dhawan said in an interview with Star Sports.

"From that rough phase to now, he has shown a lot of patience, positivity, and tolerance, and it’s a huge thing. It surely gave him a lot of strength, and I am sure he is going to do wonders for himself and the country,” he said.

Dhawan provided a first-hand account of the team's perspective on their new venue, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium, emphasising the potential business advantages and the familiarity gained through previous domestic matches. “It's a new stadium with a lot of seats, so it's better for business. Secondly, it's a new pitch, but there have been domestic matches which have been played on it, so we have the experience that when we play, we get an idea of how the wicket is, how to play on it, what game plan should we use, what we should not use. That comes with experience, and if we make it a big thing in our head, it becomes big, and if not, it doesn't,” Dhawan said.

Dhawan shed light on the squad's readiness and camaraderie, underscoring their eagerness to create a positive environment and approach the season with confidence and enjoyment. He spoke on how the squad is raring to go this season. He said, “The squad last year was good as well, and it was my first season as captain in the IPL. There was lots of learning, and I think this year Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Rabada, Rossouw, Sam Curran, Johnny Bairstow, and myself, all of us are ready to go. Everyone is great, and we just want to create a good environment and play with confidence and enjoy ourselves,” said Dhawan.