Rishabh Pant has said the he thought “his time in this world was over” after he suffered a life-threatening car crash over a year ago in which he sustained serious injuries.
In an exclusive interview with Star Sports recorded in August 2023, Pant spoke about the accident and the road to recovery ahead of his expected return to cricket in IPL 2024. spoke publicly for the first time. “For the first time in my life, I felt like I was free,” Pant said. “I felt like my time in this world was over… It was the first time in my life that I had felt that way. At the time of the accident, I was aware that I had a scar, but I knew it was worse. I was lucky because there was a possibility that it would have happened.”
The accident took place in the early morning hours of December 30, 2022, when Pant was driving an SUV from Delhi to Roorkee in Uttarakhand. He crashes his car into a divider in the middle of the road and is pulled from the wreckage before it bursts into flames and the car is completely destroyed. After initial treatment at a local hospital in Dehradun, Pant was flown to Mumbai where he underwent surgery to repair ligaments in his right knee.
In an interview, Pant gave details of the accident, saying that immediately after the accident, his right knee appeared to be dislocated and at a 90-degree angle, and he feared he would lose his leg. . “If there was nerve damage, amputation was a possibility,” he said. “I was scared at that time.”
In January last year, Pant said he was “forever grateful and indebted” to two bystanders, Rajat Kumar and Nishu Kumar, who pulled him from his car before it burst into flames. .
I may not have been able to thank everyone individually, but I must acknowledge these two heroes who helped me during my accident and ensured I got to the hospital safely. Rajat Kumar & Nishu Kumar, Thank you. I’ll be forever grateful and indebted 🙏♥️ pic.twitter.com/iUcg2tazIS
– Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) 16. 2023 年 1 月
Since the initial treatment, Pant has been recovering at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and has been bedridden for about a month. “I asked the doctor how long it would take to recover,” Pant said. “I told him everyone is talking about different things, but you’ll be the one to give me the most clarity on that. He said it would take 16 to 18 months. I told my doctor that no matter what schedule he gave me, I was going to shorten my treatment by six months.
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“They always say I’m lucky. Of course, the accident was so bad that I feel sorry for what happened to me. How can I be lucky? Despite this, I was still alive.”
Pant is set to return to competitive cricket for his IPL franchise, Delhi Capitals, in the 2024 competition scheduled to begin in March. Last year, he was spotted watching a Capitals home game. “I didn’t really enjoy it,” Pant said. “I thought we could do things this way or that way. I had discussed some things with them [Delhi National Capital]. But it was different because I went outside. Being indoors allows you to control certain things. ”
Pant said the 2023 Ashes series provided some relief from his forced absence from international cricket. “Because England started playing in a certain way that I was used to,” he said, explaining why he enjoyed the series so much. “Rohit says we will also play against Rishball. He said, ‘You are still playing this, but we are going to have others follow you as well.’ /p>
Pant, who had not played international cricket for almost 14 months, including India’s home World Cup season, said the accident gave him a new perspective on life outside of cricket, and he drives as much as possible. He said he plans to continue. “As a human being, I want to add something to my life,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you’re giving up on what you want to do. The accident is a setback. How do you overcome it? Through faith. This belief continues to grow, sometimes approaching obsession. But if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. ”
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