In an exclusive interview with Star Sports which was recorded in August 2023, Pant opened up publicly for the first time on the crash and his path to recovery ahead of his anticipated return to cricket at the 2024 IPL. “For the first time in my life, I had that feeling of letting go,” said Pant. “I felt my time in this world was over… 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.”

The accident happened in the early hours of December 30, 2022, when Pant was driving an SUV from Delhi to Roorkee in Uttarakhand. He crashed the car into a divider in the middle of the road, and was pulled from the wreckage before it caught fire, completely destroying the vehicle. After initially undergoing treatment at the local hospital in Dehradun, Pant was airlifted to Mumbai, and underwent surgeries to reconstruct the ligaments in his right knee.

Giving details of the crash during the interview, Pant said his right knee was dislocated, and looked to be at a 90 degree angle immediately after the crash, and he feared he might lose his leg. “If there was any nerve damage there was a possibility of amputation,” he said. “That is when I felt scared.”

In January last year, Pant said he was “forever grateful and indebted” to two bystanders, Rajat Kumar and Nishu Kumar, who pulled him out of the car before it caught fire.

I may not have been able to thank everyone individually, but I must acknowledge these two heroes who helped me during my accident and ensured I got to the hospital safely. Rajat Kumar & Nishu Kumar, Thank you. I’ll be forever grateful and indebted 🙏♥️ pic.twitter.com/iUcg2tazIS

— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) January 16, 2023

Since his initial treatment, Pant has conducted his recovery at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, and was bedridden for about a month. “I asked the doctor how long it would take for me to recover,” said Pant. “I told hims that everybody is speaking different things but you will give me the most clarity about it. He said it would take 16 to 18 months. I told the doctor that whatever timeline he gave me I would reduce six months from it.

“They always tell me I am lucky. Of course it was such a horrific accident, the individual feels bad that this happened to me. How can I be lucky? But the other side is despite the crash, I was alive.”

Pant is expected to return to cricket for Delhi Capitals, the IPL franchise he captains, in the 2024 competition which is expected to start in March. He was seen watching the Capitals home games last year. “I didn’t enjoy that much,” said Pant. “I was thinking we could do things this way or that way. I was discussing some things with them [Delhi Capitals]. But since I was outside it was different. When you’re inside you control certain things.”

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Pant said the 2023 Ashes series provided some relief from his enforced absence from international cricket. “Because England have started playing in a certain fashion, something I am used to,” he said on why he enjoyed watching the series. “Rohit says we will also play Rishball. He says ‘you play that anyway, but we will get others also to follow you.'”

Having not played international cricket for almost 14 months, including India’s home World Cup campaign, Pant said the accident had given him a new perspective on life outside of cricket, and that he would continue to drive once he is able. “As a human being, I want to add things to my life,” he said. “Not by eliminating what I like doing. The accident is a setback. How do you overcome that? By having belief. That belief keeps growing and at times can border on obsessive. But if you have belief in yourself, you can achieve anything.”