The wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has now been treated in a hospital in Dehradun after being involved in a terrible car crash last week. India’s stand-in T20 skipper Hardik Pandya remarked on Monday that the entire team is praying for the wicketkeeper-batter. The decision to rest Pant for the six-match limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, which begins with the first T20I match at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, was not immediately felt by the team, according to Pandya.
However, given the type of player, Rishabh Pant is, India will suffer greatly for however long he is absent. Hardik Pandya talked about Pant during the pre-match press conference in Mumbai.
The flamboyant all-rounder said, “What happened is very unfortunate. As a team, we wish him all the best. Our love and prayers are always with him and we hope he manages a speedy recovery. He was very important but everyone knows where the situation stands. A lot of people can get an opportunity.”
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Asked what kind of impact Pant’s accident will have on India’s plans for the World Cup, Hardik Pandya felt it was something that they can’t control. He said Pant’s absence will create a huge void in the team considering the kind of player he is.
Hardik explained, “Coming to the point (impact on plans for the World Cup)…obviously, he was part of the team and his role was very important. Obviously, everyone knows where the situation stands and there are a lot of people who can get an opportunity through this. I am saying if Rishabh was also there, it would have made a big difference, because of the kind of player he is. No, obviously he is not there and we can’t control it so, we can see what the future has in store for us to go forward with it.”
On Friday morning, Pant, 25, suffered multiple injuries when his car collided with a road divider and caught fire on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. The horrific car accident happened between Manglaur and Narsan in the Haridwar district in the state of Uttarakhand.
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Rishabh Pant is currently admitted to Max Hospital in Dehradun and was moved out of the ICU to a private room on Monday. He was on his way to his hometown Roorkee from New Delhi and was driving his Mercedes car.
