Rishabh Pant exhibits improvement while batting in a casual match

The eagerly anticipated comeback of Rishabh Pant to elite cricket has garnered attention, and the wicketkeeper-batsman displayed promising signs as he took to the crease for a brief stint in a leisurely event on India's Independence Day.

Pant has been out of action after suffering multiple injuries in a horrific car accident on the Dehradun-Delhi highway in December last year.

In a fan video shared on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Pant was seen stepping out to hammer the ball out of the ground, and roars of onlookers accompanied the shot.

The little shimmy down the pitch might have come as a confidence booster for the batter as well because the crash had affected his knee the most.

Pant, who has been recuperating at the NCA, visited a sporting facility near Bengaluru to take part in the Independence Day celebrations organised by the JSW Foundation.

During the function, Pant exhorted people to keep enjoying sports.

“Once you keep growing older, you stop loving the game. One of the reasons is that there is a lot of pressure; you want to excel in life and do this and that.

“But enjoyment nahi miss karna hein life mein, (Don’t miss enjoyment in life),” Pant said in a video shared by Sangita Jindal, chairperson of JSW Foundation.

Pant plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL and the team is co-owned by the JSW group.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had issued a fitness update on Pant last month.

“He (Pant) has made significant progress in his rehabilitation and has commenced batting as well as keeping in the nets.

"He is currently following a fitness programme designed for him which includes strength, flexibility and running,” BCCI had said in a statement.

(With agency inputs)