There was a special guest in the nets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday, with keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant meeting his teammates in Bengaluru.

Pant, who is recovering from injuries at the NCA, was seen mingling with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, among others, ahead of the third T20I against Afghanistan on Wednesday.

The left-handed batsman, clad in a T-shirt and shorts, faced a throwdown from the NCA staff, followed by shadow batting in the middle of the venue

Pant attended the Delhi Capitals camp in November last year and was among those present at the IPL auction table in Dubai in December.

Capitals’ cricket director Sourav Ganguly appeared optimistic about Pant’s comeback.

Ganguly said that Pant is better now and looks forward to seeing him in the IPL next season. His dedication and practice will keep him improving till January 2024.

In December 2022, Pant scored 93 runs in the Test match played against Bangladesh in Mirpur and led his visiting team to victory by three wickets.

Rohit Sharma and his team have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, and will be playing their last T20I before the World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States this summer.