Watch: Rishabh Pant reached the next stage of his rehabilitation by returning to wicketkeeping drills, raising hopes that the India star could be close to making a comeback to the game.

Pant was seriously injured in a car accident in December 2022, and has been out of the game since, recuperating from the effects of the crash. He had to undergo surgeries to reconstruct all three ligaments in his right knee.

Pant returns to wicketkeeping

His latest Instagram and Twitter post is a big update on his recovery, with the 26-year-old being seen with the wicketkeeping gloves for the first time since the harrowing incident. The post, captioned “Progressing”, has Pant in his familiar look: India helmet and keeping pads on, gloves in place, receiving deviations in front of the stumps to mimic bat edges.

Further into the video, Pant can be seen batting, unleashing his familiar drives. He has been recovering at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, part of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Will he play IPL 2024?

His latest post has further strengthened the belief that Pant could feature in IPL 2024 in some role. Recently, Cricbuzz reported that Pant’s recovery could be complete by the time the season starts (tentatively slated to begin on March 22), having played a warm-up game in Alur, Bengaluru, this week. He is likely to play as a batter and take back his captaincy role at the Delhi Capitals, although he might not be fit to keep 20 overs yet.

Earlier this month, DC head coach Ricky Ponting said revealed that Pant was confident of playing every single game of IPL 2024.

The accident also left severe mental trauma on Pant, who recently revealed in an interview with Star Sports that at that time, he felt his “time in the world is over”.

“First time in my life I had that feeling of letting it go. I felt my time in this world was over,” Pant had said in August. “It was the first time I had such a feeling in life. At the time of the accident, I was aware of the wounds, but I was lucky as it could have been even more serious.”

The joy of being able to play the sport again might help soothe some of those scars, also bringing joy to thousands of his fans.

Watch Pant return to wicketkeeping drills:

Progressing ⚡️💪#RP17 pic.twitter.com/Um1GOBb4VV

— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) February 20, 2024

Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match awards, player interviews, analysis and much more.