ICC World Cup 2023: Aakash Chopra Speaks On Rishabh Pant's Batting Videos, Says "Pant's Comeback Is Quite Far Away As Of Now"

Former India opener Aakash Chopra opened up Rishabh Pant after his batting videos went viral on social networking sites and said that the wicketkeeper-batsman’s return to the squad will take quite a long time.

Rishabh Pant has been out of action since December 2022 after he met with a car accident following which he had to go through several surgeries to hit the pitch again.

Pant’s recent videos of batting for the first time after his injury set the internet on fire and every cricket fan started to hope for his comeback in the squad before the upcoming Asia Cup or 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

While speaking on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that even though Rishabh Pant is able to play 140 kph, his comeback will still take time.

“Rishabh Pant had posted a video where Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were seen batting after a long time. Now his videos have come from which it seems he is coming back. He has started batting against the bowling machine. He has started playing against 140 kph but Pant’s comeback is quite far away as of now,” said Aakash Chopra.

Chopra praised Rishabh Pant and said that the player is extremely strong and compared him with MS Dhoni. The 45-year-old also said that Pant’s genes are good.

“The good thing is that the guy is extremely strong. This mountain boy has a lot of strength in his body. This was the case with MS Dhoni as well. Rishabh Pant is in the same category. He is so fit, the genes are good,” added Aakash Chopra.

Good scenes are coming: Aakash Chopra on Rishabh Pant

The 45-year-old is happy to see Pant move and face the ball but thinks the player won’t be available for the upcoming Asia Cup and ODI World Cup 2023.

“The conservative guess was that he might get fit by the next IPL or the next (T20) World Cup. Let’s see, fingers crossed. Good scenes are coming and we get happy in that itself, that the boy has started moving and playing at least,” Chopra further added.

The former India opener said that Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were both present with Rishabh Pant at NCA and added that there is limited time before the Asia Cup and that their names need to be added to the squad if they are fit.

“Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were also in the NCA alongside Rishabh Pant. Both have started batting. It’s slightly a race against time. Their names need to be there in the Asia Cup. If they play and do well there, the story will be created for the World Cup, or else Rohit (Sharma) gave a hint that India might have to look elsewhere,” Chopra concluded.

India will start their Asia Cup journey against Pakistan on September 2nd at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka.