Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa has advised Rishabh Pant to not rush his comeback in the upcoming Indian Premier League. Pant met with a near-fatal car accident at the start of 2023 and suffered serious multiple injuries.

Since then, Pant has been on the difficult road to recovery. The wicket-keeper recently uploaded a video on his social media platform in which he is seen keeping wickets and batting in indoor nets. Furthermore, he has been working hard in the gym.

Earlier, Delhi Capitals had confirmed that Pant will lead them in the upcoming season of the IPL. However, Pant will not take the glovework role for the franchise.

“Well as far as Rishabh Pant is concerned, it all depends on his fitness and how he recovers from what has been a tough year and a half for him. I think, we should send all those energies to him that he recovers and comes back to his best. It’s good to see He’s back in the nets, he’s hitting the ball well, doing center wicketkeeping practice. He shouldn’t rush the process,” Uthappa said in an interview with InsideSport.

Uthappa added that sometimes hurrying back from an injury can aggravate it and make things even worse for a player.

“It’s hard to stay out of the game for so long, especially when you are super competitive and you want to perform and win matches. But sometimes when you hurry the process you end up doing more damage and go back to the wait line which is more frustrating. I really hope he takes his time to comeback and when he does he comes out good,” Uthappa added.

Pant has amassed 2838 runs at an average of 34.61 and a strike rate of 147.97 in 98 IPL games and he is going to add value to the franchise.

Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against Punjab Kings at Mohali on March 23.