India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant is on his way to regaining peak fitness after suffering a horrible accident in December last year. Pant has started to bat and keep in the nets but is all set to miss the upcoming ODI World Cup. Pant’s absence has disrupted the balance of team India as the Rohit Sharma-led side has failed to find an apt replacement. They went in with KS Bharat in the WTC final but the keeper-batter failed to impress. The team is now preparing Ishan Kishan as a backup keeper to Pant.Ishant Sharma feels that the pacer will most likely miss the next year’s IPL as well. Ishant said that Pant’s injury was serious and it will take some time before he returns to normal. Ishant, who has played alongside Pant in both the Indian team and Delhi in the IPL and Ranji, believes that Pant’s recovery will be a prolonged process, making it unlikely for him to participate in the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup or even the following IPL season.
During a discussion on Jio Cinema, Ishant expressed his concerns about Pant’s return, he said, “I feel we might not get to see Rishabh Pant in the next IPL as well because it is not a small injury. It was a serious accident. He just started batting and wicketkeeping, and to run and turn after that, there are a lot of things, which are not easy for a wicketkeeper and a batter.While Pant’s participation in the World Cup seems ruled out, Ishant remains hopeful that he might regain fitness for the IPL. “The good thing is that he didn’t have a second surgery. He had one surgery now, but I don’t think he will be fit for the World Cup for sure. Hopefully, if he gets fit for the IPL, it will be great,” he said.If Pant misses out on IPL again, it will be a big blow to Delhi Capitals who were led by David Warner in the previous season and finished second last. Team India would also want Pant to be fit again as even though Ishan has taken up his spot in limited-overs cricket, the team is not sure if he can cope with the challenges of Test cricket. Rishabh Pant, team India's most dependable and consistent wicketkeeper batter across formats, met with a near-fatal car accident in December last year when he was travelling from Delhi to Uttarakhand to surprise his family and celebrate New Year with them. Pant suffered some serious injuries in the accident and underwent multiple surgeries. He is currently on the road to recovery, completing his rehabilitation at Bengaluru's National Cricket Academy (NCA). Since last year, Pant hasn't played any competitive cricket
