Ahead of the first Test match against South Africa, Team India`s Rishabh Pant will be returning to international cricket after a long break of four months.
Earlier, he had sustained a foot injury during the Test series against England. Reflecting on his return to international cricket, Pant said that it is never easy to come back after injury.
“After an injury, it is never easy to come back. But God has been kind always and he has blessed me always, and this time also, and very happy to be back,” he said in a video posted by the BCCI.
He also thanked his parents and the ones who supported him during his recovery phase.
“See, every time I take the field, one thing I try to be is to be grateful. That`s why I always look up and thank God, my parents, my family, everyone has supported me (during the recovery phase),” added Pant.
The 28-year-old Team India cricketer also feels that focusing on the controllables and investing yourself in the things that give happiness makes a person feel good during the recovery process.
“One thing I do is to focus on controllables, luck is one thing that you cannot control. So, I try not to think about that, as there are so many factors that we don`t factor in. But if you can keep your mind in a place where a lot of things are not affecting you, and you focus only on things that matter to you. You will find happiness if you keep on doing things that make you feel good, especially when you are injured,” said the Uttarakhand-born cricketer.
Further speaking, he feels a player should be able to enjoy the process of learning things and be disciplined towards the work.
“Just be in a zone where you feel comfortable, work hard, be disciplined, and be in a zone where you are ready to learn but still enjoying that time doing everything. Whatever you are doing you need to enjoy that moment, and give your 100 percent and find joy and happiness in that,” concluded Pant.
The first Test match between India and South Africa is scheduled to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata from November 14.
IND vs SA Tests: Full Squads
India: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (WK).
(With PTI Inputs)
