Rishabh Pant can play the T20 World Cup if…: How India wicketkeeper can be an 'asset' heading into ICC extravaganza

BCCI secretary Jay Shah has provided a major update on Rishabh Pant's fitness ahead of the upcoming season of Indian Premier League. Pant is expected to return to competitive cricket with IPL 2024 as Delhi Capitals have retained him in the side. He has missed a lot of cricketing action due to the injuries he sustained during a horrific car accident in December 2022. However, the southpaw has been working hard at the National Cricket Academy for the last few months and is all set to get a fitness certificate.

Shah has stated that the BCCI will declare Pant fit very soon as he has been doing both batting and wicketkeeping at the NCA for quite some time now.

"He is batting well, he is keeping well. We will declare him fit very soon. If he can play the T20 World Cup for us, that will be a big thing for us. He is a big asset for us," Jay Shah told PTI.

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The BCCI secretary further asserted that to get a place in the T20 World Cup squad, Pant has to keep the wickets.

"If he can keep, he can play the World Cup. Let's see how he does in the IPL," said Shah.

Pant sustained multiple injuries during the car accident including a severe right knee injury that required a ligament reconstruction surgery besides a fractured wrist and ankle.

The DC team management is confident of a solid comeback from Pant in the IPL as head coach Ricky Ponting and Director of Operations Sourav Ganguly have talked highly of the southpaw on several occasions in recent times.

Shah also shunned the rumours of any potential foreign investment in the Indian Premier League as last year several reports floated that Saudi Arabia is showing interest in investing multi-billion dollars in the cash-rich cricket league.

Shah said that is not possible considering the BCCI is a society and not a company.

"BCCI is a society and nobody can invest in it," Shah asserted.

In India, a registered society cannot accept foreign investment without the approval of the central government and the Reserve Bank of India.