Mumbai, May 25: Having made a grand return to action following a 15-month break because of a near-fatal accident, young wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant posed with some members of the Indian team as they departed for New York for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup here on Saturday. Pant was seen enjoying the adulation of fans and meeting his former teammates, taking selfies with fellow players at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Saturday.

Pant on Saturday posted a picture of some of his teammates including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jasprit Bumrah and spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Pant led Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 and was also quite successful with the bat, scoring 446 runs in 13 games at an average of 40.55 and a strike rate of 155.40. However, he could not steer his side to the playoffs, as DC finished sixth in the table with 14 points from as many games.

The first batch of the Indian team, comprising captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid, reached Mumbai airport on Saturday for a late-night departure for New York to participate in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup starting from June 1.

As per various visuals posted on social media platforms, the first batch of players, along with Indian team support staff, left for New York via Dubai and comprised of players who are not participating in the business end stage of IPL 2024.

Apart from Rishabh Pant, the other players that left for New York include Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, along with reserve players Shubman Gill and Khaleel Ahmed were seen entering the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for their travel to New York journey.

Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya were not seen in the visuals of the Indian team’s departure to New York, with some reports suggesting the latter is in London and could link up with Rohit & Co from there.

Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal and Yashasvi Jaiswal, along with reserve players Avesh Khan and Rinku Singh are expected to join the Indian side in New York in a couple of days.

Samson, Chahal, Jaiswal and Avesh wrapped up their IPL 2024 commitments on Friday with Rajasthan Royals’ 36-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 at Chennai, while Rinku will play for Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament’s title clash at Chennai on Sunday. (IANS)

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