Delhi Capitals (DC) coach Ricky Ponting has said that captain Rishabh Pant deserves to be in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. Rishabh Pant made his cricketing return in the ongoing IPL 2024 after more than a year on the sidelines due to a car accident.
And he has been a shining light for DC despite their poor IPL 2024 performance thus far. Pant has 194 runs in 6 matches for DC with 2 fifties to his name and a strike rate of 157.72.
With the time nearing for the BCCI selection committee to announce India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad, all eyes have been on performances of candidates like Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma and KL Rahul.
However, the DC head coach is certain that he will be the player boarding the plane to New York by the end of the IPL.
"Do I believe whether Rishabh should be there in the World Cup squad? Absolutely I do. He deserves to be in that T20 World Cup squad by the end of the IPL. I think we have seen Rishabh play the way we have seen him play in the last five or six years in the IPL, and now back playing for India," Ponting told PTI.
Pant continues to be Ponting's first pick even though he recognized that Indian selectors have several alternatives when selecting a keeper-batter.
"One thing we certainly know is that there is a lot of depth around Indian cricket. With keeper-batters, I feel some guys are in really good form at the moment. (Ishan) Kishan is playing well, (Sanju) Samson is playing well and KL Rahul is playing well. There are a lot of options but if I was picking a team, I would have Rishabh Pant in it every day of the week," he added.
Ponting got emotional when he saw Pant performing at his best once again in cricket after what he had been through.
"Rishabh's comeback to international cricket is nothing short of remarkable. I spent a lot of time with him during the last IPL and a lot of us were actually skeptical about whether he will actually play the game again, such a horrific accident and I had spoken to him about it, I wasn't sure whether he would play again.
There was never any doubt in his mind that he would be back playing again. As each game goes by, we are starting to see a better and better version of Rishabh Pant, his batting has had more impact in the last couple of games compared to the start of the tournament, and he is starting to move well behind the stumps," the coach sounded ecstatic.
Ricky Ponting has expressed his compassion and support for Glenn Maxwell's decision to take an indefinite break from cricket due to mental and physical health issues.
Ponting acknowledged Maxwell's great pressure as a vital player for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and said the Australian all-rounder made the correct decision in prioritizing his well-being.
Maxwell opted for a break after struggling badly for RCB this season. He has 32 runs in 6 matches, out of which 28 came in a single innings.
"For someone like Glenn in that team (RCB), he being one of the 'Big Dogs' along with Virat, a lot of pressure comes on a couple of players playing in that team. If they don't perform, the results tend to not follow them. If you see what they have done in the tournament so far, pressure builds up on individual players as well. I read that article today morning that Glenn wants to step aside, just have a few games off, and try and refresh," Ponting said.
"Every individual is different right. Some guys would want to get going and push through that and get some runs on board and thus that will change their way of how they think about the game and some guys need to step back and have a break. hat's why one needs to be really understanding as a coach now that anyone who is around the cricket team, their health and well-being, and welfare of the players is something you think about first,” Ponting stated.
(PTI inputs)
