India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has attended his first net session with the team in New York ahead of the T20 World Cup warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1. Pant has returned to the Indian team after nearly 17 months for the showpiece event. He made his return to competitive cricket in April in the Indian Premier League and also led his side Delhi Capitals. He not only played the full season, but also kept wickets, after recovering from multiple injuries sustained in a horrific car crash.
In IPL 2024, he scored 446 runs, including three half-centuries, and finished as the highest run-getter for the franchise. He batted at a strike rate of 155.40 in the middle order.
Commenting on his return to the Indian squad, the 26-year-old said he missed his teammates during his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and is enjoying being back with the team.
"This is the one thing I missed a lot. Getting back on the field with the Indian jersey on, it is a different feeling altogether. I think seeing the teammates and meeting them again, spending time, having fun with them, enjoying having conversations, really enjoying it," Pant said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
"We are used to playing in certain countries but this is a different prospect. It has opened up a different channel for sport because I feel cricket is growing around the world and getting the exposure in a country like the US would be nice for cricket as well as USA cricket, I guess," he added.
Pant further said he is getting used to the conditions and that the sun shines a little brighter here in the US, and there are new pitches.
"So just getting used to conditions over here and let us see how it goes. Hopefully, I make it count and make it better from here," he concluded.
India will take on Ireland in their T20 World Cup opening match in New York on June 5 before the high-octane clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9.
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