'Road to recovery has begun; ready for the challenges ahead' - Rishabh Pant after successful surgery

Young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who weathered an awful car crash on December 30, said on Monday that he is on the road to recovery, having undergone three successful surgeries. Pant prevailed in a car crash on NH-58 while navigating from Delhi to Roorkee. He was initially admitted to a hospital in Dehradun and then redirected to Mumbai, where he had three surgeries -- two on the knee and one on the ankle. He is anticipated to be out of action for nearly a year.

"I am humbled and grateful for all the support and good wishes. I am glad to let you know that my surgery was a success. The road to recovery has begun, and I am ready for the challenges ahead. Thank you to the BCCI, Jay Shah, and government authorities for their incredible support," Pant wrote in his first tweet since the accident.

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Pant added: "From the bottom of my heart, I also would like to thank all my fans, teammates, doctors, and the physios for your kind words and encouragement. Looking forward to seeing you all on the field." Pant, senseless for a few minutes before a few locals ran him to a nearby hospital, also thanked the two young men -- Rajat and Nishu -- for their punctual usefulness.

"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," concluded Pant. The 25-year-old sustained wounds to his ligament muscles and was airlifted from Dehradun. He was later operated on by Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, one of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI's) empanelled surgeons.

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Pant has already been ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, where he leads Delhi Capitals (DC). It is being learnt that he will be out for most of the year, including the ICC World Cup 2023 in India in October-November. The wicketkeeper-batter's last appeared during the two-Test series in Bangladesh in December before being rested for the limited-overs home series versus Sri Lanka. He is expected to be back before the year-ending tour to South Africa.

(With inputs from PTI)