Image Credit- PTI
After his potentially fatal car accident on December
30, 2022, Rishabh Pant’s first impression was that his “time in this world
was over.” Pant, who is anticipated to play in the IPL in 2024, said he
was “fortunate to have a second life” and that having self-belief is
the most important thing he has gained from this experience.
His candid discussion with Star Sports, Believe: To
Death & Back, will focus on this issue and air on February 1 at 7 p.m. IST.
Pant discusses the mishap, his mental health, the excitement of witnessing the
2023 Ashes, and if he plans to get behind the wheel once more.
“First time in my life I had that feeling of
letting it go. I felt my time in this world was over,” Pant said in the
interview, which was conducted in Bengaluru on August 24, 2023, roughly eight
months after the accident occurred when Pant was driving from Delhi to Roorkee
to meet his family and crashed his car into the median divider on the road.
“It was the first time I had such a feeling in life. At the time of the
accident, I was aware of the wounds, but I was lucky as it could have been even
more serious.”
Pant received basic care at a hospital in Dehradun
before being airlifted to Mumbai, where he was looked after by a specialist
consultant from the BCCI. Pant underwent rehabilitation at the National Cricket
Academy in Bengaluru following procedures to replace all three of his knee
ligaments.
“I am focusing on recovery cut off from the
world,” he said. “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.
“Till the time I start playing cricket, I don’t
want to plan much for the future. I asked the doctor how long will it take for
me to recover? I told him that everybody is speaking different things, but you
will give me the most clarity about it. He said it would take 16 to 18 months.
I told the doctor from whatever timeline you give me, I will reduce six months
from it.”
Jovial and chirpy by nature, Pant didn’t miss out on
making a light-hearted comment. “I had taken an SUV, but what I was seeing
was a sedan.”