India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has revealed that he feared the amputation of his right leg in the aftermath of the horrific car crash which he survived 13 months ago.
Pant was driving from Delhi to his hometown Roorkee to meet his family when his car crashed into the median divider on the road in December, 2022.
He had just returned from Bangladesh after playing a major role in India’s win in the second Test in Mirpur.
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“If there was any nerve damage, there was a possibility of amputation. That is when I felt scared,” Pant said in Star Sports series ‘Believe: To Death & Back’ which documents his recovery.
“I had taken an SUV, but what I was seeing was a sedan,” he quipped as he remembered his mangled vehicle.
Recounting the initial moments after the crash, the 26-year-old said he 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.” Two persons Rajat Kumar and Nishu Kumar were able to pull Pant out of his SUV before it went up in flames.
“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,” he recollected.
Pant underwent initial treatment at a hospital in Dehradun and was later airlifted to Mumbai where he was under the care of a specialist consultant brought in by the BCCI.
After undergoing surgeries to reconstruct all three ligaments in his right knee, Pant did his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The big-hitter said the process is boring at best and frustrating at worst.
“I am focusing on recovery by cutting 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,” he elaborated.
The swashbuckling batter, who was instrumental in India’s monumental win in the Brisbane Test in 2021 that sealed a famous series win in Australia, said the doctor gave him 16 to 18 months recovery time.
“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 (doctor) 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,” said Pant who is likely to play in the IPL for Delhi Capitals this season from March.