Report | Rishabh Pant may be ready for England Tests but BCCI likely to exercise caution
According to a News18 report, Rishabh Pant's knee and ankle have been holding up better than expected with the wicket-keeper batter set to resume running at full intensity from next week. Pant has been undergoing his rehabilitation at the NCA and is expected to be match-fit in time for the IPL.
Rishabh Pant has had multiple injuries for ligament reconstruction in the knee following a car accident on the Delhi Dehradun highway a year ago and has since been under the watchful gaze of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The 26-year-old of late has been undertaking afternoon sessions involving running at "80-90% intensity" with the workload scheduled to amp up in the coming days.
“Pant’s recovery has been on point, in fact better than expected. The concern was how the knee and ankle would react after the injury. Especially the knee after ligament tears and surgeries. Both ankle and knee engagement has been on point and that was a big positive considering they are going to bear a lot of load during wicketkeeping. The load on the body will be gradually increased now and running at 100% intensity is likely to begin from next week,” News18 reported an anonymous source assaying
“As I said, running – ground and on the treadmill – has begun but it’s not high intensity yet. Say 80-90% but not full intensity yet. There are sessions on the spin bike too but right now it’s more about getting the body ready for those pressure tests – high intensity training and match simulations. So lifting and muscle work has also begun to add strength. He has started compound exercises, the ones which work on multiple muscle groups at the same time, and lot of attention is being paid to lower-body strength and conditioning,” the source added.
Pant last took the field for India on Christmas 2022 during a Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur and has since missed key events such as the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the IPL 2023 season, and the ODI World Cup. The wicket-keeper batter may be fit in time to return to the international setup during the five-match Test series against England beginning January 25 but is expected to work his way up to match fitness after the long injury lay-off. Pant is the captain of Delhi Capitals and as things stand he is expected to take back the reins from David Warner after David Warner stood in for him in the latest season.
“Don’t be surprised if Pant becomes ready around the England Tests. But even if he does, the NCA is likely to use the shortest format to ease him back into action. Just like they did with Bumrah who first played T20Is vs Ireland before playing the 50-over format. The manner in which both NCA and BCCI handled Pandya and Bumrah, similar approach will be followed with Pant. The bigger picture and complete fitness of Pant is important. So IPL looks like a viable option for now."
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments