Rishabh Pant on Tuesday (March 12) heaved a sigh of relief as the BCCI declared him fit for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, slated to get underway on March 22.
Notably, Pant has been out of competitive action ever since his horrific car crash in December 2022. He tore all three key ligaments in his right knee and had three successful reconstructive surgeries in the aftermath of the near-fatal accident.
The wicketkeeper-batter then underwent an extended rehabilitation at the NCA and missed out on all the action last year, including the IPL, WTC final, Asia Cup and World Cup.
In an exclusive chat with TOI, Rishabh Pant shared his first reaction after receiving the fitness clearance from BCCI.
“Amazing feeling. This was the thing we were waiting for. It’s been so long. I think you can still cope with a layoff of three to six months. But when it goes beyond that, it starts taking a toll. I just want to go out there and play and have fun. Not thinking about the future too much, because (then) you put too much pressure on yourself. Looking forward to each day as it comes,” Pant said.
The southpaw admitted that he was anxiously waiting to be declared fit. He also revealed that the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah took personal interest in his recovery and they didn't want to rush him to play Test matches against England at home.
“I was anxious waiting to be declared fit. I was trying to get fit before the Test series against England. BCCI and NCA were very helpful. BCCI secretary Jay Shah took personal interest. They didn’t want to rush me to the longest format. They slowly built up the workload. That was the best part of the recovery. You have to appreciate if someone takes care of you like that. They suggested that I start with T20s and then increase the workload,” he stated.
The 26-year-old also opened up on his keenness to play the World Cup at home last year but his knee wasn’t ready to take the load.
“It was very upsetting. We discussed with the NCA team that we will take a shot at the World Cup. All of us tried 200 per cent. But my knee couldn’t take the load. That was where I started pushing myself more. When you start giving yourself shorter goals, that helps in pushing yourself. It’s like building a good Test innings,” he remarked.
Rishabh Pant acknowledged the support he received from the people at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.
“Mostly, I had conversations with VVS Laxman (NCA head) about life in general. There was so much frustration. I used to be frustrated even if someone tried speaking with me. Sometimes, you take it out on people without any fault of theirs. NCA helped me deal with that as time passed by. There were certain gestures that were very important. For example, I wanted to stay at a house instead of a hotel room in Bengaluru. They accommodated that. These small gestures made a lot of difference,” he said.
When asked if the life-threatening accident has changed him as a human being, Pant replied: “I wanted to retain my identity. I never felt like I had to change drastically. You want to add things that help you. Gratitude towards life has increased a lot. You start appreciating small things about life.”
(With TOI Inputs)
