NEWS
Follow UsDelhi Capitals' skipper Rishabh Pant is feeling "jittery, nervous, excited" ahead of his comeback to professional cricket after 14 months. The wicketkeeper-batter had to miss the 2023 Indian Premier League, owing to his recovery process after a road accident in December 2022.
Pant is now back and will lead Delhi in their first game of the 2024 season against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on March 23 (Saturday).
"Jittery, nervous, excited - all of it, but at the same time, just happy, being able to come back to professional cricket. I'm just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow," Pant expressed.
"Every time I take the field, it's a different feeling altogether. I just wanted to bat as much as I could and get better every day. I don't think much ahead, I take one day at a time, and give my 100%."
The Capitals struggled big time last season and finished ninth on the points table, winning only five of their 14 games. Will this season be any different? "Most of the conversations are pretty simple, we just want to go out there, have fun, not complicate things and give our 100% in all the games," said Pant.
When asked about Pant's return as Captain and his preparations for the season, DC head coach Ricky Ponting said, "We are about to start an IPL, it's really an exciting time of the year. It becomes more exciting when your captain is back in your team. He is our leader, he is the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger.
"We had a week's training in Vizag before coming here and trust me Rishabh is back and ready to play. He will be a little bit nervous tomorrow, playing his first game in a while but nerves are always good because it means something to you. I've seen where his game is at, and don't be surprised if something special happens tomorrow."
Ponting feels Delhi have a great squad this season and could go all the way. "Make no mistake, we have got a great team this year. Our preparations have been absolutely perfect. We are just looking to topping it off today, and make sure we put a performance that I know would be good enough to win the game tomorrow."
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