'Bouncing back with every rep.' Rishabh Pant, away from the pitch for a year, shares recovery update with workout video

Good news for Rishabh Pant fans! After being out of action for a year following a horrific car accident in December 2022, the promising batsman is now well on the path to recovery.

On Tuesday, India's star wicketkeeper shared a fitness update on his official Instagram account. The 26-year-old Pant shared a video in which he is seen sweating it out at a gym, lifting weights and cycling.

"Bouncing back with every rep," Pant wrote on Instagram.



Pant, whose last outing for India was in a Test match against Bangladesh in Mirpur in December 2022, recently was seen in the Delhi Capitals training camp in Kolkata, although he didn't take part in the training sessions.

The Delhi Capitals player has been forced to take a break from competitive cricket for a year now after surviving a bad accident in December last year. Pant was travelling from Delhi to Roorkee and had a close shave when the Mercedes Gle that he was driving collided with a divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee, near Hammadpur Jhal, in Uttarakhand. After initially being treated in Dehradun, the player was later airlifted to Mumbai for specialised treatment.

The cricketer suffered injuries on his back, forehead, and legs. For months after that, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter has been recuperating, with the help of physiotherapy and fitness training, and he has updated his fans on social media platforms.

Pant has missed the Indian Premier League 2023, the World Test Championship final, and the ODI World Cup 2023. If he recovers fully, he may return to the squad during the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in June 2024.

New IPL Stint?
Meanwhile, on Sunday, former cricketer-turned-commentator Deep Dasgupta, on a video chat, said that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might consider Pant as a potential successor to MS Dhoni in IPL 2025. The Bengal Ranji player feels that one should not be surprised if CSK target Pant as Dhoni's replacement.

"Don’t be surprised if they get Rishabh Pant by IPL 2025. MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant are very close. Obviously, Rishabh adores MS, and MS also likes him very much. They spend a lot of time together. Their connection and Rishabh’s thinking are very similar, considering he is very attacking and positive. He’s always talking about winning and what not," Dasgupta said on the show.