'Miracle man' Rishabh Pant had little doubt of returning to top-flight cricket after surviving car crash

Rishabh Pant had little doubt he would be playing top-flight cricket again in spite of having narrowly escaped with his life from a horror car accident, describing himself as “a miracle man” to those who doubted him including renowned orthopedic surgeon Dinshaw Pardiwala, his treating doctor.

“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 recalled his conversation with the cricketer in a show documenting Pant’s incredible comeback to action after 14 months.

Part 1 of the ‘Miracle Man’ releases on Thursday on BCCI.TV. In a trailer, Pant said he is feeling “very close to normal”.

The Greatest Comeback Story

In Part 1 of the #MiracleMan, we chronicle the tireless efforts of the resilient medical team that made @RishabhPant17’s remarkable return to cricket possible. As Rishabh defies the odds in the face of adversity, the men behind the scenes unveil their… pic.twitter.com/9ylCvW2zO8

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 14, 2024

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As the swashbuckling batter gets ready to return to action in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), Dhananjay Kaushik, the physiotherapist at National Cricket Academy (NCA), spoke about the severity of the injuries the player suffered in the accident that took place in December 2022.

“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, medial collateral ligament…

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“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.

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Pant was cleared to play the IPL by the BCCI on Tuesday. His team Delhi Capitals will open its IPL campaign against Punjab Kings in Mohali on 23 March.

He met with a horrific car crash in December, 2022, while driving to his home in Roorkee. He suffered multiple injuries and a ligament reconstruction surgery had to be performed on his right knee. He was also left to nurse a fractured wrist and ankle.

The 26-year-old underwent an extensive rehabilitation and recovery process at the National Cricket Academy following the accident.

Read | 'Conversations with VVS Laxman, good meal': Pant details recovery process

The big-hitting player has appeared in 33 Tests, 30 ODIs and 66 T20 Internationals for India.

On Pant’s journey, Nishanta Bordoloi, the strength & conditioning specialist at NCA, said it has made him more resilient and strong.

“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