"I Am Lucky To Be Alive": Rishabh Pant On Near Fatal Car Crash, Enduring Pain And More

Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant was injured in a near-fatal accident about a year ago after his car met with a crash on the Delhi-Roorkee highway. Pant somehow escaped from the burning car, thanks to the timely help given by a passerby. A few months away from making an on-field return, Pant will be with the Delhi Capitals franchise as the bosses take to the auction table ahead of the 2024 season. As Pant continued to work on his recovery, he opened up on the car crash, admitting that he is lucky to be alive today.

"The kind of accident I had I am lucky to be alive. The first part of recovery was so challenging with lots of pain but now recovery is going well," Pant said in a video posted by the IPL on social media.

"More from a physical point of view because in the starting there was a lot of pain to be endured. But just looking forward to the journey till now. I think it's been going really well from a recovery point of view," he said.

"I felt like I couldn't face people and all, and I felt like I had to do something which gives me confidence and I wanted to support my team at the same time because I've been playing for them. I love my team all the way, so I wanted to show my support even in the worst times. So that was the idea and I think it's part of the recovery process," said Pant.

Pant will be sitting at the auction table with the Delhi Capitals bosses, becoming the first active player to do so. While there still remains a sense of suspense over his on-field return, Pant wants to do all he can to help the franchise get the best players possible in the bidding war.

"You know as a kid, I used to think like one day I might be able to sit on the table somehow to help a team or something like that. I never thought that I will make it happen, but somehow things are in place and I am able to do it. And lucky to be able to do it.

"Hopefully, it will be an amazing experience because this is something new. Lots of love for the fans and I hope we get whatever we want from the auction, I guess.

Pant also recalled how the first auction went for him, with Delhi roping him in for a price of INR 1.90 crore.

"Every player will remember their first price or first auction day. I think I went for 1.9 crore. And I loved it because I just played U-19 India and that time it was crazy money for me. Really lucky to be part of Delhi Capitals.

"Nervousness is one thing which i have to work on. Whenever you do something new or exciting, the nervousness is always there, but like I want to grow as individual and learn whatever I can from it."