Cricket greats Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting have given their backing to India star Rishabh Pant to play in the T20 World Cup in June, following his return to the IPL after a serious car accident.
Pant, a wicketkeeper-batsman, captained Delhi Capitals in this season's T20 tournament after 14 months away from top-level cricket following the accident.
The 26-year-old left-hander has scored 254 runs in eight matches, including two half-centuries, and has looked sharp behind the wickets.
Ganguly, who is Delhi's director of cricket, told reporters about Pant's selection for India:
"I want every young player to play but unfortunately we can only pick 15."
Ganguly advised the Indian players to "just play without fear", saying Pant's ability to hit "big sixes" was what made him stand out.
Ponting, the head coach of Delhi, said he was sure the Indian selectors would pick Pant for the showpiece T20 tournament that begins in the West Indies and the United States on June 1.
In December 2022, Pant crashed his car north of New Delhi and suffered multiple injuries when the vehicle hit a guardrail, overturned and caught fire.
He underwent intensive rehabilitation after the crash, which left him with a damaged ligament in his right knee, an injured wrist and ankle, and abrasions on his back.
Pant has played 129 international matches for India in all three formats, scoring 4,123 runs, including six centuries.
Ganguly, one of India's most successful captains, also said Virat Kohli should "open" as a T20 batsman in the World Cup after some critics suggested the veteran was too slow by modern standards.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Kohli leads the IPL batting charts with 379 runs, including the season's first century off 67 balls.
Comparisons have been drawn with Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Travis Head, who scored his ton off 39 balls and led his team to record IPL scores of 277 and 287.