Rishabh Pant walks on his own, declares he is crutch-free in major recovery milestone

On December 30 morning last year, Pant miraculously survived when his Mercedes car collided with a divider and caught fire on the Delhi-Dehradun highway

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant updated the cricketing world about a major milestone in his road to recovery after surviving a serious car crash last year, posting a video of him walking without crutches.

In the short video posted on his social media accounts, Pant could be seen throwing his crutches away and walking without support on his feet at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he's currently undergoing rehabilitation.

"Happy NO MORE CRUTCHES Day!" wrote Pant in the caption.

Seam All-rounder Hardik Pandya reacted to the video by posting fiery emojis, while Suryakumar Yadav, wrote, "Spidey is back! More power to you."

On the other hand, spin all-rounder Krunal Pandya wrote "Yes bro" while Kuldeep Yadav posted two heart emojis.

Former India bowler Sreesanth wrote, "Love u brotherkeep believing."

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On December 30 morning last year, the 25-year old Pant miraculously survived when his Mercedes car collided with a divider and caught fire on the Delhi-Dehradun highway while on the way to his hometown Roorkee. The horrific car accident happened between Manglaur and Narsan in the Haridwar district in the state of Uttarakhand.

Pant was initially taken to Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre, before being admitted to Max Hospital, Dehradun. The medical update from the BCCI hours after the accident said apart from right knee ligament tear, Pant suffered two cuts on his forehead, and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe apart from abrasion injuries on his back.

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On January 4, the BCCI announced Pant would be shifted to Mumbai via an air ambulance for surgery and further treatment, and would be under direct supervision of Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, the head of the Centre for Sports Medicine, and Director of Arthroscopy and Shoulder Service, at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri West, Mumbai.

Later in the month, Pant had shared through his social media accounts that his surgery was successful. Since then, he has posted pictures and videos of him making steps for recovery through walking on crutches and even hydrotherapy, where he was seen walking in the swimming pool with a walking stick in hand.

He also attended Delhi Capitals match against Gujarat Titans on April 4 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. With him ruled out of cricketing action for the foreseeable future, Delhi are being captained by left-handed opener David Warner in IPL 2023.

Pant, who made his international cricket debut in February 2017, was last seen in action when India sealed a 2-0 Test series victory over Bangladesh in December 2022.

In the second Test which ended on December 25, he hit a match-winning 93 in the first innings at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.