Not Hardik Pandya!! Ravi Shastri picks this Indian player as his biggest surprise of T20 World Cup 2024

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri recently revealed his biggest surprise of the recent ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). Ravi Shastri stated that he was surprised by Rishabh Pant's comeback to international cricket after a horrific car accident.

Rishabh Pant suffered a life-threatening car accident on December 30, 2022. He underwent surgeries and rehabilitation before making his comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Pant earned selection in the World Cup squad after impressing as both a batter and keeper in the IPL 2024 season.

The 26-year-old batted at No. 3, as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opened the innings. The left-handed batter scored 36 and 42 against Ireland and Pakistan in the first two games. However, his performance dipped towards the end. He finished as India's third-highest run-getter, amassing 171 runs across eight innings.

Come Back From The Jaws Of Death - Ravi Shastri

In a video shared by ICC on Instagram, Ravi Shastri picked Rishabh Pant as his biggest surprise of the T20 World Cup. Shastri praised Pant’s efforts in returning from a severe injury. The former all-rounder noted that Pant delivered impressive performances both as a batsman and wicketkeeper.

"For me, Rishabh Pant. Because, let's face it, we all know how talented he is, and what he can do. But for him to come back after that injury, to really come back from nowhere, from the jaws of death to come out, and then respond and play in the fashion he did. He was sent at No. 3, given that extra responsibility. He did his job with the bat, but it was his keeping that really surprised everyone," Shastri said.

"For someone to recover that quickly and then move the way he did. He hardly missed anything, albeit he must have felt the pressure as the tournament went on because it's not easy to come back and do all the stuff he did. I thought it was the most refreshing thing and a surprise as well, especially the keeping," Shastri added.

The Indian team won a thrilling final against South Africa by seven runs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29. Rishabh Pant did not make a significant contribution with the bat in the final match. The southpaw was dismissed for a duck after facing just two balls off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj’s bowling.

The Delhi cricketer took 13 catches and a stumping in the T20 World Cup 2024. Pant was not appointed as the T20I captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the format. Suryakumar Yadav was named the Indian team captain with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Rishabh Pant is part of India's squad for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka. He will compete with KL Rahul for a spot in the playing XI during the first ODI, which will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, August 2.

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