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Former England captain Nasser Hussain shared that everyone was really worried when Rishabh Pant had a dangerous car crash in December 2022. He talked about how important Pant has been for the Indian cricket team, even though he hasn't been playing for a long time. Hussain is optimistic and hopes to see Pant come back and play well in 2024 after recovering from his injury.
Having been sidelined for over a year, Pant is on a gradual path to recovery, with expectations of returning to competitive cricket during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024, representing the Delhi Capitals (DC). Despite his absence on the field, he was actively involved in the auction process in Dubai on December 19, contributing to the team's planning and strategy for player acquisitions.
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Following his injury, India have witnessed various wicketkeepers donning the gloves, yet KL Rahul appears to be the preferred choice in ODIs and, more recently, in Tests.
Hussain acknowledged India's fortunate array of options but highlighted that the 26-year-old’s flamboyant style and consistent performances have elevated him to the status of a box-office star.
"India have done well without him (Pant) as KL has come in and been brilliant in all formats," Hussain said, as quoted by ICC's Believe in Magic series.
"They'll continue to be brilliant. They're lucky to have both of them, but Rishabh Pant, before his injury, was box office, and hopefully, after his injury, will be box office as well."
While driving on the Delhi-Dehradun highway close to Roorkee, Pant experienced a serious car accident. The vehicle collided with the highway railings and later ignited. He narrowly avoided a potentially life-threatening situation by breaking through the windshield, but he did suffer multiple injuries.
'WHOLE WORLD HELD ITS BREATH'
In February 2023, he underwent a complex surgery for the reconstruction of all three ligaments in his right knee, performed by Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala in Mumbai. Despite the severity of his injuries, Pant's resilience became evident as he referred to the incident as his 'second birth' and started providing updates on his rehabilitation journey through social media, drawing encouragement from his fans and fellow cricketers.
Supported by the BCCI, Pant's rehabilitation program comprised strength training, flexibility exercises, and running drills. He consistently shared images and videos of his strength training sessions and wicketkeeping drills on social media.
"That was such a serious accident. The whole world held its breath and it has been a slow recovery. You follow on social media, on my phone and the initial first walking steps to then scenes in the gym and then scenes of him playing a bit of cricket, scenes of him with Ricky (Ponting)," Hussain recalled.
"I travelled with Ricky in the summer in the Ashes, and Ricky was texting him 'how's the progress coming along', and he is a box office cricketer," he added.
India are unlikely to expedite Pant's comeback, opting to give the wicketkeeper-batter ample time to regain comfort on the field before reintegrating him into the national team.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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