India star player Rishabh Pant is likely to play domestic cricket, making a possible return in the IND vs. AFG series
Rishabh Pant, who is still recovering from a near-fatal accident and subsequent knee ligament reconstruction surgery, will miss the India tour of South Africa in December. Even though Pant has shown remarkable progress in recovery, the hero of India’s Gabba victory will still need some time to be fit. If things go as planned, Pant will make his return to the IND vs. AFG series in January instead of the IND vs. SA tour. Before that, he will have to go back to domestic cricket and regain match fitness as well as confidence.
Rishabh Pant has been training alone, with frequent visits to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The BCCI medical team is still monitoring his progress. Pant last played a competitive cricket match back in December against Bangladesh.
As per the statement of the senior BCCI official, “It’s still early days. It’s good that he has been batting in the nets. But he still needs some more time. He will have to go back to domestic cricket and gain confidence again. Probably, if everything goes well, a return could be possible against Afghanistan. But again, it’s not certain yet.”