Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has backed Rishabh Pant to be picked in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. He said that although other wicketkeepers are fighting for the spot, he would choose Pant over all the members of his team.

Rishabh Pant’s comeback has been one of the most inspiring stories in the world of cricket. After suffering a terrible accident, not many supported him to return to the cricket field. But he gave it his all and worked very hard to get back to doing what he does best.

After missing cricket for over a year, Rishabh Pant returned to cricket in the ongoing Indian Premier League. The wicketkeeper-batsman returned as captain of the Delhi Capitals. He seemed testy in the first innings, but after that, he found the charm in him and gave glimpses of the old self in him in the IPL.

Rishabh Pant played a sensational innings in the league and scored two consecutive half-centuries before hitting a brutal 42-run knock in the game against Lucknow Super Giants. The wicketkeeper-batsman has regained his full form and would be eager to maintain his good form in the league.

With a wicketkeeper-batsman spot up for grabs in the Indian team for the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rishabh Pant would surely be one of the best options for the team. He has been delivering decent performances with the bat and it won’t be a surprise if he makes a cut in the team.

Ricky Ponting praised Rishabh Pant for his tremendous comeback and said he did not think of playing between the wicketkeeper and the batsman again after the horrific accident. He believes Pant will improve with every innings he plays. Speaking to PTI, he explained:

“Rishabh’s return to top-level cricket has been nothing short of remarkable. I spent a bit of time with him during last year’s IPL. I think a lot of the world was really skeptical about whether he would play again or not. I wasn’t sure if he would play again, but he was very strong from the beginning and said: look, I’ll play again right away.

“I was very confident about playing in this IPL. As each game goes by, we will see a better and better version of Rishabh Pant. He has played impactful innings in the last few games and has done a tremendous job with the gloves.”

I would wear Rishabh Pant every day of the week – Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting spoke about Rishabh Pant’s chances for the T20 World Cup 2024 and said the Delhi Capitals captain deserves a place in the team for the event. He admitted that there is a lot of depth in the Indian team, but Pant is ahead of everyone. He elaborated:

“Do I think Rishabh should be in the World Cup team? I absolutely do. He deserves to be in that WT20 team at the end of the IPL, I think we have seen Rishabh play the way we have seen him play in the Last six seasons of IPL and now playing for India again.

“One thing we certainly know is that there is a lot of depth around Indian cricket, with wicketkeeper batsmen and I think some guys are in very good form at the moment. Kishan is playing well, Samson is playing well and KL Rahul is playing well. “There are a lot of options there, but if I were to pick a team, I would have Rishabh Pant every day of the week.”

The Rishabh Pant-led team will next be seen in action when they take on the Gujarat Titans on April 17.