After enduring a life-threatening accident,
Rishabh Pant
harboured unwavering confidence in his return to top-flight cricket. Even if it required a miracle, he remained steadfast in his belief that he would achieve it.
While his treating doctor, the esteemed orthopedic surgeon Dinshaw Pardiwala, held a less optimistic outlook, Pant dismissed any doubts by simply labeling himself as a "
miracle man
."
"When you get back to competitive cricket, it will be a miracle..
after a high-velocity knee dislocation, in this kind of a situation... But that's when he said, 'I am a miracle man. I have managed two, I will certainly manage a third'," Pardiwala reminisced about his discussion with the cricketer during a televised programme chronicling Pant's remarkable return to the field after a hiatus of 14 months.
The first part of the 'Miracle Man' series premieres on Thursday on
BCCI
.TV.
Pant expressed that he is feeling "very close to normal."
With the dynamic batsman gearing up for his comeback in the upcoming Indian Premier League, Dhananjay Kaushik, the physiotherapist at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), discussed the extent of the injuries Pant endured in the 2022 accident.
WATCH PART 1 OF 'MIRACLE MAN'
"If you are talking about the right knee, none of the ligaments were spared during that accident. If you are talking about ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), lateral collateral ligament ligament, medial collateral ligament...
"Also a part of the quadriceps, you name it and he didn't have it. I think if there is anyone who could make a comeback, it's just Rishabh only, with the kind of effort and attitude he has got. The way he takes things in his stride...," Kaushik said.
Earlier this week, the BCCI granted clearance for Pant to participate in the IPL. His team, Delhi Capitals, is set to kick off their IPL campaign against Punjab Kings on March 23.
Pant was involved in a harrowing car accident in December 2022 while driving to his home in Roorkee. He sustained multiple injuries, requiring a ligament reconstruction surgery on his right knee, as well as a fractured wrist and ankle.
Following the accident, the 26-year-old underwent an extensive rehabilitation and recovery programme at the National Cricket Academy.
Having represented India in 33 Tests, 30 ODIs and 66 T20 Internationals, Pant's return to the field marks a significant milestone.
Reflecting on Pant's journey, Nishanta Bordoloi, the strength and conditioning specialist at NCA, noted that it has imbued him with greater resilience and strength.
"Every incident in our life has a certain kind of outcome and I think, if not anything else, it has made him a better human being, having better understanding of life, respecting life as a whole, respecting things around, made him more resilient, more stronger," Bordoloi said.
(With PTI inputs)
English (US) ·