Star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant revealed that after his life-threatening road accident in December 2022, his injuries were such that he could not even brush his teeth for two months. Pant on Monday featured on the second episode of ‘Dhawan Karenge,’ a talk show hosted by Indian opening batter, Shikhar Dhawan on JioCinema. During the episode, the 26-year-old cricketer shared his experience after sustaining life-threatening injuries from a horrific accident that left him with multiple fractures and required ligament reconstruction and treatment for a knee injury. These injuries were critical to his career, but he recently made his comeback in IPL 2024 after a 15-month rehabilitation.
While opening up on his post-injury experience, Rishabh shares, “Self-belief and self-confidence are very important while recovering from an injury because there are people saying all sorts of things around you, and you, as an individual, have to think about what’s good for you. The accident was a life-changing experience for me. When I got up after it, I was not even sure if I would be alive, but God was very kind to save me. I could not even brush my teeth for two months, and for six to seven months, I suffered with unbearable pain. I could not go to the airport because I was nervous about facing people in a wheelchair.”
He further added, “Now that I am making a comeback in cricket, more than feeling pressure, I am excited. I feel this is kind of a second life, so I am excited but also nervous.”
Pant also revealed that one incident in his life that made his mother angry was when he was in fifth grade. It was when his father brought him a cricket bat worth Rs 14,000 and his mom got “super angry” with his father’s gift to his son.
“It was my father’s dream to become a cricketer, and I am glad I could fulfil it. I decided I wanted to be a cricketer when I was in the 5th grade. My dad gifted me a bat worth Rs 14,000, and my mom got super angry,” he said.
In the recently concluded IPL 2024, Rishabh’s team Delhi Capitals finished in the sixth spot with seven wins, seven losses and 14 points and failed to move to playoffs. He scored 446 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of over 155 with three half-centuries and emerged as the team’s top run-getter.
Now, Pant will make a comeback to international cricket during the ICC T20 World Cup, starting from June 1 in the West Indies and the USA.
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