T20 WC 2024: Rishabh Pant to warm the bench in the World Cup? Ricky Ponting warns Indian selectors

Delhi Capitals' Australian head coach Ricky Ponting feels that franchise skipper Rishabh Pant should be going with team India for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Pant, who has staged his return to competitive cricket through IPL 2024 after coming from a 14-month recovery period, will be keen on getting the chance to be there in the USA and West Indies. It will be his first major tournament with team India since the T20 World Cup in 2022 wherein he hadn't played a single game.  

In less than 2 weeks now, the Indian Men's chief selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar, will be announcing the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 WC. To get selected and noticed, some capped as well as many uncapped players are trying their best to get considered.

While the core team is going to be the same as the team that played in the 50-over World Cup last year, all eyes will be on whether Rishabh Pant makes the cut or not. 

Rishabh Pant is among the wicket-keeper batsman options available for India, along with Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson. There is Ishan Kishan as well but the main fight will be between Pant and Samson for that spot.

But the reports from the last 2 weeks have suggested that the DC skipper is already on the provisional 10-man list along with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav among others. 

Ricky Ponting says Rishabh Pant's batting has improved and his self-belief has also boosted 

While speaking to media reporters ahead of Delhi Capitals' next home game against the Gujarat Titans tomorrow, Ricky Ponting made some huge revelations about Rishabh Pant.

Ponting firstly said that Pant's batting has improved quite a lot than it was earlier this season and that his self-belief about his body has also increased. 

Ponting had observed that Pant was a little anxious about the condition of his body and whether he would be able to keep the wickets well or not.

But now after almost a month since he played his first game since that horrific car crash in December 2022, Rishabh Pant's wicket-keeping has improved and he can believe himself and his abilities better. 

"I think his batting is getting better and better by the game. I think he has started to get a bit more trust and belief in his body as well. I think early on, he was a little bit apprehensive, especially with his wicketkeeping side. He had done a little bit of batting coming into the tournament."

"He had pretty good trust with a bat in his hand. But now, his keeping skills behind the stumps have been really good." - Ricky Ponting told press reporters at the Arun Jaitley stadium. 

Ponting claims Pant will be in the Indian squad "for sure"

Ponting then claimed that Pant has all the chances to be in India's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup as the former believes that Pant is too good to not be selected. Ponting said that Rishabh Pant is more than capable of causing a big impact for Team India. 

"His batting is getting better and better. by the game. And now, that he's back to playing, what I think about his World Cup chances, I think he will be there in that squad for sure. He is too good a player and can have too much of an impact on the game for India not to select him in the squad." - Ponting concluded. 

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