Legendary Indian all-rounder, Kapil Dev said he is thankful to witness that the young Indian wicket-keeper batter, Rishabh Pant is safe after the latter suffered a gruesome car crash on the Delhi-Dehradun highway on December 30. The World Cup-winning former captain also offered a piece of advice to youngsters, citing a scary accident from his life. Rishabh Pant is stable and in fine spirits as he is getting treatment for injuries suffered from the crash at a private hospital in Dehradun.
The explosive batter’s car crashed into a divider early on Friday morning before jumping off the car after it caught fire. Pant suffered cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear on his right knee, and injuries on his right wrist, ankle, and toe. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) confirmed over the weekend that Pant would get all the support for treatment and recovery even as the wicketkeeper-batter is expected to be out of competitive action for a couple of months.
Pant was returning to his home in Roorkee for the New Year and his luxury car alone before the accident. Kapil Dev said it’s not ideal for young cricketers to drive a car alone and suggested that they should hire drivers to do the job for them.
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During a recent chat with ABP News, Kapil Dev said, “Yes, you have a good-looking car with great speeds but you have to be careful. You can easily afford a driver, you don’t have to drive it alone. I understand that one has hobbies or even passion for such things, it’s natural to have it at his age, but you also have responsibilities. Only you can take care of yourself. You have to decide things for yourself.”
Recalling a motorbike accident from his days as an India cricketer, the legendary al-rounder said his brother did not allow him to ride a motorbike after the crash.
Reminiscing his younger days, Kapil Dev said, “When I was still an up-and-coming cricketer, I faced a motorcycle accident. From that day onwards, my brother didn’t even let me touch the motorbike. I am just thankful to god that Rishabh Pant is safe.”
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Rishabh Pant is unlikely to be available for India’s much-awaited Test series against Australia at home in February-March while it remains to be seen if the cricketer will recover for IPL 2023. India men’s cricket team will be commencing its New Year with a 3-match T20I series against a visiting Sri Lanka side. The first T20I will be played in Mumbai on January 3.
