Rishabh Pant 'forever grateful and indebted' to individuals who took him to hospital

In his first public comment since his car accident on December 30, Rishabh Pant has singled out two individuals, Rajat Kumar & Nishu Kumar, saying he would be "forever grateful and indebted" to them for ensuring he was taken to hospital safely.

Pant put out a series of Tweets on Monday evening, saying his "road to recovery had begun" and thanking the BCCI, Jay Shah and government authorities for their "incredible support".

"I am humbled and grateful for all the support and good wishes," Pant wrote. "I am glad to let you know that my surgery was a success. The road to recovery has begun and I am ready for the challenges ahead.

"I may not have been able to thank everyone individually, but I must acknowledge these two heroes who helped me during my accident and ensured I got to the hospital safely. Rajat Kumar & Nishu Kumar, thank you. I'll be forever grateful and indebted.

"From the bottom of my heart, I also would like to thank all my fans, team-mates, doctors and the physios for your kind words and encouragement. Looking forward to see you all on the field."

The road ahead for Pant, however, remains uncertain after he had surgery to reconstruct two knee ligaments on January 7, with a third surgery expected after six weeks. He is likely to miss out on most fixtures in 2023, among them the Test series against Australia and the IPL. India are also the hosts of the 2023 ODI World Cup in October-November this year.

After his car hit a divider at around 5.30 am on December 30 while he was driving to his hometown of Roorkee in Uttarakhand from Delhi, Pant was initially treated at a local hospital before being taken to the Max Hospital in Dehradun for further treatment. He was then airlifted to Mumbai on January 4 so that his knee could be operated on urgently, and is expected to continue his rehabilitation in the city for a while.