Rishabh Pant facing 140kph-plus at NCA nets; KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer recovering well

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant suffered multiple injuries in a horrific car accident in December 2022. While it was initially reported that the cricketer will need at least 18 months to recover completely, he has shown extreme discipline and dedication in his treatment and has resultantly started practising in the nets just eight months after the incident.

As per reports, the southpaw is having no problem in playing 140kph-plus deliveries at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) but even so, he is not fit to make his return to professional cricket. He is currently getting used to small body movements.

Notably, the NCA staff is surprised with Pant’s recovery and if he manages to recover at the same pace, he might return sooner than later. A source close to the development told that Pant is crossing every hurdle and will soon begin working on his next target.

“Rishabh has been making a fine recovery. He has started to take on deliveries with speed excess to 140 kmph. We all are delighted with the way he has been crossing every hurdle in his recovery. He is keeping well. His next target will be to focus on larger and quicker body movements, which we aim to achieve in the next couple of months,” an NCA source told RevSportz.

KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer eyeing full fitness

The initial plan for both KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer was to get fit ahead of the Asia Cup 2023. With that goal in mind, both cricketers worked hard on training and have finally started batting in the nets. However, they are not yet ready to make a return to international cricket.

It is believed that KL Rahul might recover ahead of the intra-continental cup while Iyer might take a bit longer. However, nothing is finalised as both BCCI and NCA are taking one-day at a time to analyse their progress. In case either of them fails to recover, the team management is expected to back Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson in their spot.