Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the harrowing car crash involving India's star wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant. The incident occurred when Pant's car collided with a divider on the Delhi-Roorkee highway, resulting in serious injuries. Fortunately, Pant narrowly escaped from his burning car, thanks to the timely assistance of a passerby. Axar Patel, Pant's teammate from India and Delhi Capitals, has now disclosed additional details about the "fateful" accident that has kept the wicketkeeper-batsman away from competitive cricket.
'Subah 7 ya 8 baje mere phone pe ring baji. Pratima di ka phone aya. Pratima di ne mujhe pucha ki 'teri Rishabh se kab baat hui thi last?' Mene bola 'nahi, kal karne wala tha lekin kal nahi ki mene'. 'Are uski mummy ka number ho toh mereko send kar, uska accident ho gaya hai'. Matlab pehla thought mereko aaya ki ye bhai gaya (Early morning I got a call from sister Pratima. She asked me when did I talk to Rishabh Pant last? I told her that I was about to talk to him last day but I did not. Pratima said that she needed Pant's mother's contact number as the player has met an accident. At the first time, I though he is gone)', Axar shared in a video uploaded by DC, detailing the timeline of Pant's accident and recovery.
Since then, every day has been filled with gratitude, belief, self-care, hard work, and an unwavering determination to make a triumphant return to the game that courses through Pant's veins. As Pant continues his recovery, he recently spoke about the car crash, acknowledging his fortune in surviving.
'The kind of accident I had, I am lucky to be alive. The initial phase of recovery was extremely challenging with a lot of pain, but now the recovery is progressing well,' Pant revealed in a video posted by the IPL on X'. From a physical standpoint, there was a lot of pain initially. But I am looking forward to the journey till now. I think it's been going really well from a recovery point of view.
I felt like I couldn't face people, and I felt like I had to do something that gives me confidence. I wanted to support my team at the same time because I've been playing for them. I love my team all the way, so I wanted to show my support even in the worst times. So that was the idea, and I think it's part of the recovery process."
