Rishabh Pant Joins Sachin Tendulkar In Nomination Of This Special Award

India’s wicket-keeper batter, Rishabh Pant, has received a special nomination for this award in the sporting world, as he is considered to be one of the picks for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award. Before Pant, only Sachin Tendulkar was nominated for the award.

The left-handed batter made a cracking comeback in the game after his unfortunate fatal accident that kept him out of the game for a long time, including the home ODI World Cup in 2023.

Rishabh Pant’s horrible car accident in December 2022

Just after India finished their trip to Bangladesh in December 2022, the southpaw was on his way back home from Delhi to Roorkee when he crashed into the divider and flipped. Soon, the car caught fire immediately, while some locals came to rescue them and removed him from the car.

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Rishabh Pant’s right knee ligament was damaged along with his wrist, ankle injuries, and back abrasions. He also got cuts on the forehead. The keeper was out of action for more than a year, during which he missed the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 against Australia, the home Test series against the same opponent, and the ODI World Cup at home.

Rishabh returned to action for the Delhi Capitals during the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Mullanpur against the Punjab Kings. The left-handed batter’s position by then was not confirmed in the national side. But he clubbed 446 runs in 13 innings at an average of 40.54 and a strike rate of 155.40 in the previous season, thanks to three half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 88 runs.

Rishabh Pant’s inspiring comeback in cricket

Not many predicted that the Uttar Pradesh-born would be able to feature in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America. But Pant went through the entire tournament smoothly. His 171 runs in eight innings at an average of 24.42 and a strike rate of 127.61 at the best score of 42 wasn’t great, but the entire story was about his comeback and how he would be back in the prime action.

In the second innings of the opening Test, the entire crowd of the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai stood at their feet when Rishabh Pant celebrated his comeback Test century. The 27-year-old finished the series as the third-leading run-getter with 161 runs at 53.66 and a strike rate of 82.14.

Even when most of the batters were struggling to face the New Zealand spinners at home, Pant brought the aggressive batting and nailed 261 runs in three innings at 43.50 and a strike rate of nearly 90, with three half-centuries.

Rishabh Pant carried the same form into the five-match Test series against Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. He was the sixth-highest run-getter of the series with 255 runs in nine innings at an average of 28.33 and a strike rate of 59.02, thanks to the best score of 61.

Rishabh Pant creates history by nomination for the Laureus World Comeback Award

In a special official release, Pant talks about his nomination for the award. He opened up on his comeback on the national side.

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“I have always believed that the biggest virtue of life is to be grateful for everything God has blessed you with. Throughout my life, I have focused on being positive and happy in every situation, trusting the power of self-belief and resilience to deal with every challenge.” India’s left-handed batter addressed.

“When I survived the near-fatal car crash, I realized that I have been fortunate to be a blessed soul, which inspired me to work extremely hard to undo everything and return to the pitch as a better version of myself with greater motivation.” Rishabh Pant concluded.