‘Unfortunate, our love and prayers are with him’ – Hardik Pandya’s touching words on Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant, the Indian wicketkeeper, met with an accident on December 30 and the batter has been recovering well since then, although one has to agree that he will be out of competitive cricket for a period of at least 6 months. To add more, the southpaw was on his way back to Delhi from Dehradun, when his car crashed into the divider at the Narsan border area in Roorkee. 

Post undergoing plastic surgery, the left-handed batter is resting and was shifted to the private ward from the ICU on January 2, 2023, Monday. Hardik Pandya, India’s captain for the T20I series against Sri Lanka which will get underway on Tuesday, said that all of the players’ wishes and love are with Pant, who is recovering at the hospital. 

“What happened is very unfortunate, no one can control such things. As a team, we wish all the best, our love and prayers are always with him. Wish him a speedy recovery,” Pandya was quoted as saying by India Today ahead of the first T20I to be played at Wankhede Stadium. 

Let’s wait and see what the future holds for us: Hardik Pandya

Further, Pandya said that the Indian wicketkeeper was a part of all of the future plans and added that his absence, although unfortunate, would make way for others to get an opportunity to represent India at the highest level. The Indian captain claimed that the southpaw’s presence would have made a lot of impact and also expressed his doubts about Pant’s participation in the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India to be played later this year. 

“Coming to the point, obviously he was a very important part of (Team India’s plans in the world Cup year). But, now everyone knows the situation. There are a lot of people who can get opportunities. I am seeing that if Rishabh also would have been there, he could have made a huge impact. But now, let’s wait and see what the future holds for us,” he added.