This champion is going to rise again: Yuvraj Singh on meeting Rishabh Pant

Mumbai: Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh took to the social media site Twitter to share that he had gone to meet wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who is currently on road to recovery after suffering multiple injuries in a horrific car accident last year.

Alongside a picture of him with Rishabh, Yuvraj tweeted, “On to baby steps!!! This champion is going to rise again (soon). Was good catching up and having a laugh. What a guy positive and funny always!! More power to you.”

On Wednesday, Pant shared a video on his social media accounts, where he was seen making slow walking steps in a swimming pool with the help of a walking stick in his left hand as a part of his recovery process.

“Grateful for small things, big things, And everything in between,” wrote Pant in the post on his social media accounts. The BCCI commented on Twitter, ‘More power to you champ’.

On December 30, 2022, around 5:30 am, Pant, 25, miraculously survived when his Mercedes car collided with a divider and caught fire on the Delhi-Dehradun highway while on the way to his hometown Roorkee. The horrific car accident happened between Manglaur and Narsan in the Haridwar district in the state of Uttarakhand.

Pant was initially taken to Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre, before being admitted to Max Hospital, Dehradun. The first medical update from the BCCI hours after the accident on December 30 said apart from a right knee ligament tear, Pant suffered two cuts on his forehead, and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe apart from abrasion injuries on his back.

On January 4, the BCCI announced Pant would be shifted to Mumbai via an air ambulance for surgery and further treatment and would be under the direct supervision of Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, the head of the Centre for Sports Medicine, and Director of Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service, at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri West, Mumbai.

In January, Pant shared through social media that his surgery was successful. On February 10, Pant tweeted a picture of himself walking with the help of crutches, his right leg in a bandage with a caption reading, “One step forward, One step stronger, One step better”.

Pant, who made his international cricket debut in February 2017, was last seen in action when India sealed a 2-0 Test series victory over Bangladesh in December 2022.

In the second Test match which ended on December 25, he hit a match-winning 93 in the first innings at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. As of now, the BCCI has not given any specific timeframe for Pant’s return to competitive cricket.