"The way his accident happened, we were all worried in Pakistan" - Wasim Akram on 'miracle kid' Rishabh Pant
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram revealed that he was terrified when the news of Indian keeper-batter Rishabh Pant's horrific tragedy emerged. With the 26-year-old making a remarkable comeback to international cricket, Akram has labeled him as a 'miracle' kid.
Pant was involved in a near-fatal car accident jn December 2022, forcing him to undergo a handful of surgeries and rehabilitations before returning to top-level cricket. The southpaw's strong performance in IPL 2024 made him part of India's T20 World Cup squad and he played a integral role in their title win.
During a media interaction, the Pakistan great reflected that Pant has showcased superhuman strength by coming back the way he has. As quoted by The Hindustan Times, the 58-year-old remarked:
"Look at Pant’s performance, the miracle that he has performed by showing he is superhuman by returning from his tragedy. The way his accident happened, we were all worried in Pakistan, I was worried and tweeted about him. He came back and averaged 40 in the IPL, 446 runs at a strike rate of 155, he’s a miracle kid."
Pant, who played his first Test since December 2022, in the recent fixture against Bangladesh, smacked a hundred in the second innings. The left-hander showcased excellent glovework too.
"How mentally strong must that boy be" - Wasim Akram on Rishabh Pant
Akram added that it was special to see Pant dominate bowlers like James Anderson and Pat Cummins in Test cricket. He said:
"Especially what he has been through in that horrific accident, coming back from that, how mentally strong must that boy be. The way he used to play in Test cricket, the way he performed in Australia with the century then. The way he batted against England, playing a reverse-sweep against Anderson in Test cricket, even Cummins. He’s special.”
The southpaw will next be in action when India take on Bangladesh in the second Test, beginning on September 27 in Kanpur.