Pant can’t wait to have a swing at T20 WC

New York, May 30

Rishabh Pant’s return to cricket after surviving a life-threatening accident is nothing short of miraculous. Having already made an emotional comeback in the blue of Delhi Capitals, Pant is even more eager to wear a different shade of blue — the ‘India Blue’ to be specific.

After over 500 days of being in the wilderness, Pant is back in the national team set-up, and he cannot wait for India’s T20 World Cup campaign to begin with their match against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County ground.

“Getting back on the field with an Indian jersey on is a different feeling altogether. This is something I missed a lot… Hopefully I can make it count and make it better from here,” Pant said on the sidelines of India’s first net session. “Seeing the team here and meeting them again, spending time, having fun with them, having a conversation with them, I really enjoyed,” Pant said.

Having scored 446 runs in 13 IPL games, Pant is slowly getting back into the groove. The leaner and fitter Pant looked in nice touch at the India nets at the Cantiague Park on the outskirts of New York City. India play a warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1.

Security for India-Pak game

New York’s Nassau County will have unprecedented security arrangements in place for the T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan on June 9 due to the threat of a terror attack here even though state Governor Kathy Hochul insisted that it is not credible “at this time”.

The Eisenhower Park Stadium at the Nassau County will host eight matches of the tournament-proper, including India’s three outings. The Indians will also play a practice game against Bangladesh here on June 1.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said she has directed state police to elevate security measures to ensure safety of the crowds.

A report on CNN said that New York officials are putting safety precautions in place “after terror group ISIS-K made a global threat earlier this year” against the World Cup. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said on Wednesday that the event received an ISIS-K-linked threat in April.