BIG Blow For Team India, Rishabh Pant Likely To Miss ICC ODI World Cup 2023

Rishabh Pant is doing well, stated Shyam Sharma, the Director of Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), regarding Pant's ongoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Although it is unlikely that Pant will participate in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, he is expected to make a comeback after the tournament. Sharma mentioned, "He's responding adequately (to the rehab). He can be fine (in terms of fitness) after the ODI World Cup happens (in October-November) and will come out (of the NCA) only after being declared fully fit, whenever it happens." Following a meeting with Pant at the NCA in Bengaluru, Sharma expressed his satisfaction with the progress Pant has made.

In a harrowing incident on December 30, 2022, around 5:30 am, Pant miraculously survived a car accident on the Delhi-Dehradun highway while en route to his hometown, Roorkee. The incident occurred between Manglaur and Narsan in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, when Pant's Mercedes car collided with a divider and caught fire.

Initially, Pant was taken to Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre, and later transferred to Max Hospital in Dehradun. On January 4, he was airlifted to Mumbai for right knee surgery and further treatment for multiple injuries at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri West.
Since April, Pant has been undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA, where he has progressed to walking without crutches and climbing stairs unaided. Sharma expressed his satisfaction with Pant's recovery, stating, "His ongoing rehabilitation at the NCA is happening very well. He's doing a lot of exercise also. I was there at the NCA for half an hour or so. He's being made to do all the exercises related to walking, climbing stairs, and is also walking on the soil or on grass."

Pant's rehab at the NCA is being supervised by physios S Rajnikanth and Thulasi Ram Yuvaraj. In addition to Sharma, DDCA Director Harish Singla also met with the left-handed batter at the NCA. Sharma mentioned, "He's being attended to by specialists at the NCA. In the time I was there at the NCA, he was doing well. From the mental perspective, he looked fit and fine. Like, I can say the tiger is getting ready to roar back," concluding his remarks.

Pant, who made his international cricket debut in February 2017, was last seen in action during India's 2-0 Test series victory over Bangladesh in December 2022. In the second Test, which concluded on December 25, he played a crucial innings of 93 in India's first innings at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, contributing to their win.