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Dhawan shared his wonder and amazement at Pant’s resolve to keep fighting after his accident and to once again play his game as he pleases.
India vs New Zealand 2024: Rishabh Pant celebrates reaching his fifty (AP)
It’s no easy feat to stare death in its eye and to rise from the ashes again. Yet, this was something that Rishabh Pant did in a literal sense, and former Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan expounded on the youngster’s inimitable resolve to get back to his best.
In December 2022, Pant experienced a harrowing car accident while driving from Delhi to his hometown Roorkee, as a result of which Pant sustained multiple injuries, including cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee, and abrasions on his back.
The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter would undergo surgery to repair his injuries, and it would take him around 18 months to get back into action for India.
Dhawan shared his wonder and amazement at Pant’s resolve to keep fighting and to once again play his game as he pleases after all he went through.
“Jab banda maut ke muh se bach ke aata hai, to uska dekhne ka nazaria hi badal jata hai (When a person returns after escaping the jaws of death, their perspective on life completely changes),” exclaimed Dhawan.
“I haven’t experienced anything like Rishabh’s accident myself, but his gratitude toward life has deepened…When I visited him (at the hospital), he was lying in bed with a huge smile on his face. That’s the spirit of Rishabh Pant. That’s why he’s back on the field, performing brilliantly. He’s mentally stronger now, and he appreciates life in a new way.”
Pant would also return to international cricket better than ever before, across all formats, as he would go on to clinch the T20 World Cup earlier this year and then recently in a dismal and disappointing whitewash of a Test series against New Zealand, Pant would stand out as one of the few bright spots for India with the bat.
“During the New Zealand series, he was heard saying ‘mujha kya pata tha ye hindi bol payega’ (How was I supposed to know he could even speak Hindi). That’s just Rishabh being Rishabh — completely himself, full of confidence and self-belief,” gushed Dhawan.
“The way he hit that six off Tim Southee was remarkable. He brings so much joy and exctiement to fans and everyone who watches him.”
India would be hoping for Pant to only get better as they now are set to face a scary Australian side in a five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, starting from November 22.
Following the Test series loss to New Zealand, India have slipped to the second spot on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table while Australia have jumped up to the pole position. Now, if India want to make it to their third consecutive final, they need to defeat Aussies by a margin of 4-0 to qualify on their own.
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