Former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is regarded as one of the most influential wicket-keeper batters of all time. Not only with the bat but also behind the stumps, Dhoni had been the best. However, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting feels that Rishabh Pant is way ahead of Dhoni.
Former Delhi Capitals head coach Ponting praised Rishabh Pant for his impressive return to cricket after a serious car accident in 2022. Ponting admitted he didn’t expect the wicketkeeper to play in IPL 2024. Pant had suffered severe injuries in the accident, which kept him out from cricket for 15 months.
In IPL 2024, Rishabh Pant played for Delhi Capitals and scored 446 runs with an average of 40.55 and an impressive strike rate of 155.40. He also captained the team and performed as the wicketkeeper.
While talking to Sky Sports, Pant said, “It was a remarkable comeback by a player who was critically injured. If you see his leg now and the stories he told us about his accident, I didn’t think he would play in the last season of IPL.”
“But 12 months before, Pant said that he would return for the IPL. We thought that we might have to use him as a sub-player, but he kept wickets in all the games and even scored freely for us. Pant was one of the top scorers and also played a role in India’s win in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024,” he added.
He described Pant as an infectious character and said, “He is an infectious character. We have seen him play and heard what he says on the field. He loves cricket and is a match-winner.”
He further added, He is an impactful cricketer. Pant has already hit 4 or 5 hundred in Test cricket, and he enjoys his game. Dhoni played 120 (90) Test matches and amassed 3 or 4 hundreds (6), but Pant already has 4 or 5 Tests tons. He is a serious cricketer.”
