Axar Patel, a teammate of Rishabh Pant in both the Indian national team and Delhi Capitals, expressed deep concern and anxiety when he first heard about Pant’s traumatic car accident.
The cricket community and fans were startled by the distressing news of the Indian wicketkeeper’s accident on December 30, 2022. Pant sustained various injuries in a dreadful car crash when the vehicle he was driving collided with a divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway.
In a video shared on Delhi Capitals’ official platform, Axar Patel recounted his initial thoughts upon hearing about the accident involving his franchise captain. He said:
“Subah 7 ya 8 baje mere phone pe ring baji. Pratima di (Ishant Sharma’s wife) ka phone aya. Pratima di ne mujhe pucha ki ‘teri Rishabh se kab baat hui thi last?’ Mene bola ‘nahi, kal karne wala tha lekin kal nahi ki mene’. Are uski mummy ka number ho toh mereko send kar, uska accident ho gaya hai’. Matlab pehla thought mereko aaya ki ye bhai gaya.”
“(Early morning, I got a call from Pratima di [Ishant Sharma’s wife]. She asked me when I last spoke to Pant. I told her that I was about to talk to him yesterday, but I did not. She asked for Pant’s mother’s contact number as he had met with an accident. At that point, I feared the worst).”
Following the injuries sustained in the car accident, Rishabh Pant had to undergo surgery. In a recent interview, he acknowledged his fortune in surviving the harrowing car crash.
“I believe he’s a fighter”- Axar on Pant
In the DC video, Axar Patel disclosed that he got calls from Shardul Thakur and the BCCI, as they believed he was the last person in contact with Pant. Subsequently, Axar contacted Pant’s manager to get an update. Upon learning from the cricketer’s manager that Pant was unharmed, Axar Patel felt a wave of relief.
“BCCI, Shardul everyone started calling me. Everyone felt that I was the last one to speak to him. I called him (Pant’s manager) and he said that everything is fine. ‘How much damage his body has suffered due to injuries, we don’t know, but he’s safe’. After that, I ended the call and took a deep breath. Now, I was assured that he would fight. I know he is a fighter,” the 29-year-old asserted.
Pant has been consistently providing updates on his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) through his social media profiles. Reports suggest that he is expected to return to action before the T20 World Cup in the UAE and the West Indies next year.
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