- Shamser Khalid
Rishabh Pant Updates Fans and Thanks His Heroes
Weeks after his car accident, Rishabh Pant released a statement on Twitter. The Indian Cricket player gave an update on his health and thanked the fans, BCCI, and the medical team for their support.
In his tweet, Pant stated: "I am humbled and grateful for all the support and good wishes. I am glad to let you know that my surgery was a success. The road to recovery has begun and I am ready for the challenges ahead. Thank you to the BCCI, Jay Shah & government authorities for their incredible support."
He further gave thanks to his fans, teammates, doctors, and physios for all of their support.
Before Pant’s tweet, the BCCI had been providing updates on the player’s status. The last update the BCCI gave on the player was that Pant would undergo surgery and subsequent procedures for the ligament tears he suffered and would be monitored by the BCCI medical team.
Pant had gotten involved in a road accident in the early hours of 30 December as he was driving from Roorkee to New Delhi. According to eyewitnesses and videos that surfaced later, Pant’s car had caught on fire, but he managed to escape and was rescued.
The ones who helped him after he met with the car accident and ensured that he reached the hospital safely were identified as Rajat Kumar and Nishu Kumar.
On Monday, Pant extended his gratitude to the duo and called them "two heroes.” He also posted a picture of these two individuals standing with his mother. He shared the photo on Twitter with the caption:
"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."
In addition to Pant’s social media updates, the BCCI said that the player will most likely miss the Asia Cup 2023 and World Cup 2023. Before this, they had confirmed that Pant would miss the IPL 2023.
Pant’s return to the cricket field depends on his rehab and the training he will undergo once he gets discharged from the hospital. Pant is expected to be in the hospital for at least one more week.
When he was admitted to the hospital, Pant had to undergo reconstruction of three damaged ligaments; it will take another six weeks for the 2nd surgery on the third ligament. Earlier in January, Pant had undergone successful knee surgery.
Reports say that he will be made to walk with the help of a walker and support in the coming days.
At this time, no replacement is confirmed for the player. During his recovery, KS Bharat, Upendra Yadav, and Ishan Kishan were up for consideration. According to recent sources, India bowler Pragyan Ojha said that Phil Salt (who was recently bought by the DC for INR 2 crore in the IPL auction) could replace Pant.
Before joining India, Salt represented England in 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is so far, and in his first match at the SA20, he smashed an unbeaten 77 off 47 deliveries as he opened the innings.
