From Walking with Crutches to Running at Full Speed: How Rishabh Pant Defied All Odds and 'Kept Going' - WATCH

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was on his way home to celebrate New Year’s eve with his family when his car crashed in the middle of a highway in Uttarakhand. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for primary treatment from where he was airlifted to Mumbai. It took him a few months to move his feet and almost a year to walk without crutches. After surviving a horrific road accident, the wicketkeeper-batter is running full throttle as he gears up for his comeback.

Pant has been training under the watchful eyes of the coaches at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. On Monday, he took to Instagram to share a video showcasing the progress in his recovery. Pant, who once couldn’t walk without support, could be seen running and training in nets with a few other cricketers.

The 26-year-old also wrote a motivational caption that read, “Seems like you forgot. Let me remind you… Remember when it was hard and it was overwhelming and you felt afraid and still walked alone?

“You didn’t have the answers then and couldn’t see the way and wanted to give up? You still kept going. Never forget that,” he added.

A post shared by Rishabh Pant (@rishabpant)

While several media reports have claimed his return in the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has also indicated the same. The former Australia captain asserted that Pant has been working hard to regain fitness as he is very confident of playing every match in the upcoming season of IPL.

“Rishabh is very confident that he’s going to be right to play. In what capacity we’re not quite sure yet. You would have seen all the social media stuff, he’s up and about and running well. But in saying that we’re only six weeks away from the first game as well. So we’re not sure if we’ll get wicketkeeping out of him this year,” Ponting had told reporters.

On a sensible note, Ponting said if Pant plays as many matches as possible in IPL 2024, it will be a bonus for the Capitals.

“If you understand the journey he’s been on the last 12-13 months, it was a horrific incident. One that I know he feels very lucky to have even survived, let alone have the chance to play cricket again.

“We’ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he can be out there and play. Even if it’s not all the games, if we can manage him through 10 of the 14 games or whatever that might be then whatever games you can get out of him will be a bonus.”