Sunil Gavaskar is also excited about Shubman Gill's captaincy role in the IPL 17.
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar shared his thoughts on Rishabh Pant's comeback in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024), starting on March 22 in Chennai.
Gavaskar believes that Pant might face some initial challenges in finding his rhythm in the upcoming IPL 2024, where he will be leading the Delhi Capitals (DC).
However, the former Indian skipper remains optimistic, noting that Pant's knee should respond positively as he gradually gets more batting practice during match situations.
Notably, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter has been out of action since his car accident in December 2022. He underwent a rigorous 14-month-long rehabilitation and recovery program before being cleared to play as a keeper-batter for Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 17.
Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports: “It'll be very difficult. But the good thing is he (Pant) has played some cricket. So, he has got some practice. To get fluency in batting is a little tough.”
The legendary batter added, “When you talk of a knee injury, the pivoting that takes place. Wicket-keeping is difficult as well, but even in batting, the knee is quite important. So, maybe, in the beginning, we won't see the real Rishabh Pant that we are used to.”
Speaking about Pant's presence and his lively personality, Gavaskar noted: “To find a wicket-keeper like him who comments from behind the stumps, that's full-on entertainment because there are a lot of wicket-keepers who would like to disturb your concentration by saying different things.”
He continued, “But Rishabh Pant has the ability to say such a thing that whoever he is targeting, they also laugh, they also enjoy it. But when enjoying it, their concentration goes down a bit, right? The advantage is for his team then.”
Gavaskar is also excited to see how Shubman Gill would fare as Gujarat Titans (GT) captain in the upcoming IPL 2024. Captaincy is super new to Gill and the former Indian captain said: “That is going to be the most important thing: the way he can handle the captaincy.”
He signed off by saying, “Will it affect and impact his batting? And the second thing is there is a commonality in our initials; both of us are SG's, and if we go even further, my initials are SMG, and he has Shubh-Man Gill in his name.”
(With PTI Inputs)