New Delhi: Rishabh Pant still feels petrified and gets numbed thinking of the car crash that almost killed him.
Thirteen months after that near-fatal accident, the India wicketkeeper-batsman said that there was a possibility that his right leg could have needed amputation.
“If there was any nerve damage, there was a possibility of amputation. That is when I felt scared,” Pant said in the Star Sports series ‘Believe: To Death & Back’ which documents his recovery.
Pant was on the wheels of his Mercedes, driving from Delhi to hometown Roorkee to meet his family, when his car crashed into the median divider on the highway on the dawn of December, 2022.
“I had taken an SUV, but what I was seeing was a sedan,” Pant said as he tried to remember his mangled vehicle.
The 26-year-old, who had just returned from Bangladesh after playing a key role in India’s win in the second Test at Mirpur, was in excruciating pain as his right knee had dislocated, turning 180 degrees to the right as he lay face down.
“There was someone around so I asked if he could help getting the leg back in the position. He helped the knee get back in place… It was the first time in my life that I had such a feeling. At the time of the accident, I was aware of the wounds, but I was lucky as it could have been even more serious,” he recollected.
Two persons Rajat Kumar and Nishu Kumar somehow pulled Pant out of the vehicle before it went up in flames.
After initial treatment at a Dehradun hospital, Pant was airlifted to Mumbai where he underwent ligament reconstruction surgeries at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.
Thereafter, the destructive left-handed batter underwent extensive rehabilitation at Bengaluru’s National Cricket Academy.
“I am focusing on recovery cut off from the world. It helps me in recovering fast, especially when the injury is so serious. For recovery you have to do the same thing every day. It’s boring, it’s irritating, it’s frustrating, but you have to do it,” said Pant.
As things stand, Pant may play in IPL 2024 which begins end of March.
