It’s not every day you hear a story of someone going from a fiery car wreck to a roaring comeback in Test cricket. But Rishabh Pant isn’t just anyone.
His return to international cricket is nothing short of miraculous — not just because he’s playing again, but because he’s alive to tell the tale.
On Friday, as he walks out at Headingley for India’s first Test, he won’t just be carrying his bat and gloves — he’ll be carrying the weight of an extraordinary survival story.
One he now calls his “second life.”
A Routine Drive That Nearly Ended Everything
Back in December 2022, Pant was driving home to Roorkee from Delhi, a route he’d taken countless times before.
But in the early morning hours, everything changed.
His Mercedes slammed into a road divider and flipped. The car eventually caught fire.
Two local men, Rajat and Nishu Kumar, were the first on the scene.
What they found inside was horrifying — Rishabh Pant, one of India’s brightest cricket stars, was face down in the wreckage, his leg grotesquely twisted, thinking to himself, “My time in this world is over.”
A Narrow Escape From the Flames
It wasn’t just luck — it was a string of near-impossible breaks.
The initial crash didn’t kill him. Rajat and Nishu managed to drag him out of the car before the fire took hold.
Even when they had to pull him through shattered glass, somehow no arteries were cut.
He survived — but just barely.
When friends and family arrived at the hospital, the sight was harrowing.
A family friend, Umesh, said the only part of Pant that wasn’t covered in blood was his teeth.
Another acquaintance described seeing bone from his neck down to his waist. It was that graphic.
Surgery, Pain, and an Uncertain Future
Pant was soon airlifted to Mumbai, where surgeons went to work on his torn ligaments.
His mother, Saroj, clung to one promise from doctors: her son would walk again.
What no one could guarantee, though, was whether he’d ever play cricket.
The nerves and blood vessels in his leg had somehow been spared, which meant no amputation.
But for 45 days, Pant lay bedridden, contemplating what life might look like without the game he loved.
From Crutches to Comebacks
Doctors gave him an 18-month recovery window.
Pant, being Pant, decided to shave six months off. “I’ll knock six off the target,” he joked — classic cricket metaphor.
By May 2023, he was walking with crutches. By July, he was training.
By September, he was jogging. Even the smallest things — brushing his teeth on his own — became little victories, reminders that he was still here.
Chasing Greatness Again
Before the accident, Pant was already a standout.
With a Test average of 43 and a strike rate of 73, he had lit up grounds across the world.
Who could forget that jaw-dropping 146 off 111 at Edgbaston in 2022?
But now, with the added perspective of having stared death in the face, Pant was chasing something bigger — not just a return, but improvement.
He wanted to be even better than before.
The Emotional Return in IPL 2024
On May 23, 2024, when Pant walked out to bat for the Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings, the crowd in Mullanpur erupted.
It wasn’t about the runs that day — though he scored 18 off 13 — it was about the moment.
The roar was for survival. For perseverance. For a man who beat the odds.
Still Cheeky, Still Pant
Of course, Pant hasn’t lost his cheeky edge. During the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne, he tried to ramp Scott Boland and got caught.
Commentator Sunil Gavaskar didn’t hold back — “stupid, stupid, stupid,” he snapped.
Pant’s response? Pure gold. He starred in a hotel ad shortly after, flipping the insult right back at Gavaskar in the script. Same mischief, same charm.
He Knows the Bigger Picture Now
In the next match at Sydney, Pant showed both sides of his game: gritty patience with a 40 off 150 balls, followed by fireworks with 61 off 33.
That balance — a mix of madness and maturity — is what makes him special.
What’s changed since the crash isn’t just his body. It’s his mindset.
He still loves cricket, but he knows it’s not everything.
Life, after nearly losing it, has a way of reshaping your priorities.
Focused on the Future, Not the Sympathy
Pant doesn’t want pity. He’s not asking anyone to see him as a victim.
“He doesn’t want to play the sympathy card,” a friend said.
Instead, he’s focused on helping India win their first Test series in England in nearly two decades.
He’ll still scoop, reverse-sweep, and upper-cut like he always did.
But every run, every cheer, every ball he faces is now part of something much bigger — a story of survival, resilience, and finding joy again in something you love.