What Rishabh Pant's unavailability entails for Indian Cricket

Rishabh Pant encountered a horrific accident early on the 30th of December. The 25-year-old was driving home from Delhi to spend time with his family when he crashed against a divider on the highway at around 5:30 am. Per multiple news outlets, the player was taken to a major Dehradun hospital to receive treatment.

As per BCCI's media statement, Pant had two cuts to his forehead and severe abrasions on his back. He suffered a ligament tear in his right knee, and also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe. The Board is keeping a close watch on his treatment.

Given the severity of his injuries, the wicket-keeper could be out of action for 6 to 8 months, or even more. The injury worrying the management the most is the torn ligament. A full recovery followed by rehabilitation could take up to a whole year.

The Roorkee native has been one of Team India's most consistent performers, especially in red-ball cricket. He was the highest Test run-getter for India in 2022. Pant has scored 680 runs in 7 Test matches in 2022, at a massive average of 61.2. The BCCI also adjudged Pant as the Test Cricketer of the Year for his performances. He has been a permanent feature in India's white-ball lineups.

Let's take a look at the upcoming series' and tournaments that he will miss, how his absence could affect Team India, and potential replacement options.

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#1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 between India and Australia is scheduled to begin in February in India. India will be fielding a full-strength side against in-form Australia. Pant's unavailability will be a big miss for India. He was by far India's best batsman in the 2020 edition of the series. He was also India's highest run-getter in the series. Pant amassed a total of 274 runs in only 3 matches, at an outstanding average of 68.50 in the series.

In 2020, India was already 1 down in the series when then-captain Virat Kohli flew back to India for personal reasons. Rishabh Pant came in to replace Wriddhiman Saha. He played great cameos in India's middle order. The series was tied at 1-1 when Pant played a career-defining knock at the Gabba in Brisbane to seal the series for India. He scored an unbeaten 89* off 138 balls, helping India chase down a mammoth 328 runs. His absence this year will definitely have huge implications for India, and a suitable replacement may be hard to find.

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# 2 Men's ODI World Cup 2023

The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is set to take place in India. Though the schedule is yet to be published, the tournament will expectedly be conducted in the October-November window. Rishabh Pant was a regular feature in India's ODI side. The southpaw has amassed 865 runs in 26 innings in ODI cricket. In July 2022, he brought up his solitary century in the format, scoring 125* off 113 deliveries against England. The management will hope that Pant recovers in time for the tournament. However, they will have to keep alternative players ready.

Samju Samson and Ishan Kishan are expected to replace him in the team. Sanju Samson has an ODI average of 66. He has tons of experience in the Indian Premier League and also brings captaincy experience with him. He scored a heroic 86* against South Africa earlier this year. In June, the 28-year-old scored an explosive 77 off just 42 deliveries against Ireland. He is the perfect middle-order replacement for Rishabh Pant.

Ishan Kishan is more suited to the opener role. In ODIs, Kishan has a tremendous average of 53. He has been in the form of his life recently. In the recently concluded ODI series against Bangladesh, Kishan scored 210 off just 131 deliveries, becoming the fastest double-hundred scorer. Kishan can make it into the playing XI on the back of such performances.

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#3 The Indian Premier League

Rishabh Pant will be unavailable for IPL 2023 starting on the 20th of March. He is the current captain of the Delhi Capitals. The 25-year-old is an IPL stalwart. He has scored more than 2800 runs in 98 matches, at a great average of 34.61. His career strike rate of 148 is one of the best in the tournament. The wicket-keeper's absence will have a huge impact on Delhi's campaign.

In his absence, David Warner can be expected to take up the captaincy role. Warner is an IPL-winning captain himself, leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to victory in 2016. He has over 5880 runs in 162 IPL career matches. He will be the perfect captaincy choice.

Sarfaraz Khan and Phil Salt will have to take up the wicketkeeping job for the Delhi Capitals. Phil Salt will be a more suitable candidate for the job as Sarfaraz Khan does not have much wicketkeeping experience. Salt has over 3800 runs in T20 cricket at a supreme strike rate of 150. He will be a great keeping option for the Capitals.