‘No one had any control over it,’ Hardik Pandya on Rishabh Pant’s road mishap

Pant – who has been shifted from the ICU to a private ward at a Dehradun hospital after his surgery following a road accident last week – is recovering from the injuries he sustained in the near-fatal mishap.

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Pandya – who will be leading India in the T20I series against Sri Lanka – conceded the wicketkeeper-batter’s absence will put a big impact on the balance of the team. The Baroda cricketer went on saying that right now all he is worried about is the ‘speedy recovery’ of his teammate.

Pant suffered several injuries

Pant encountered a horrifying accident when he lost control of his car while driving on NH-58 while going to his hometown in Roorkee to surprise his mother.

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The 24-year-old Delhi cricketer is currently admitted at Max Dehradun with multiple injuries on his head, back, knee and ankle. The injuries, especially the ones on the knee and ankle, will keep him out of action for a minimum period of six months.

Hardik wishes Pant speedy recovery

When Hardik was asked about Pant, he was full of empathy even as he put things into perspective. “What happened is very unfortunate. No one had any control over it and as a team, we wish him (Pant) all the best. Our love and prayers are always with him and we wish he has a speedy recovery,” Hardik told media persons on the eve of the first T20I against Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday (January 3).

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Hardik then went on to underline the importance of a player of Pant’s calibre in the Indian team’s set-up. “Obviously, he was very important but now everyone knows where the situation stands. If Rishabh would also have been there, it would have made a big difference, yes, because of the kind of player he is. But now that he is not there, it is something, we can’t control,” Hardik added.

The star Baroda all-rounder went on to advise all those who will be getting opportunities in the absence of Pant to use them to the fullest. “There are a lot of people who can get opportunities. Let’s see what the future has kept for us and move forward with it,” he stated.

Hardik ponders over team’s performance in 2022

Reflecting on the team’s performance in the T20 World Cup 2022 where his team bowed out of the semi-finals, the stand-in India cricketer also claimed that he as well as the team management didn’t do anything wrong.

“You see, I think before the [T20] World Cup, I don’t think we did anything wrong. Our template, approach, and everything was the same. Yes, in the World Cup, things did not go how we wanted. And I think our approach was not the same – as what it was before the World Cup. What we have noticed and told the boys is that just go out there and express [themselves], which they will do. And it’s up to us how we back them,” the 29-year-old said.

He even claimed that the team management’s message to all the young players in the side is that they’ll back them to the core.

“What we have said is that we’re going to back you to the core. All the players have that support from my side that I’m going to back them to the core. Who are here, these are the best cricketers in the country, that’s the reason they are here. So, I have to make them believe that, which is a fact as well. For me, it’s important that how can I make them feel that they’re the best of their business. And if I can get that thing done, and can get that confidence in them, then I don’t think that they will have any problem in international cricket. I think they will flourish and have amazing careers ahead,” the Baroda cricketer added further.