'You called my mother and said...' - Rishabh Pant reveals PM Narendra Modi's heartwarming call that made him calm after horrible accident

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman's Rishabh Pant T20 World Cup journey is no less than inspiring. From being unsure about his cricketing future to making a roaring comeback for Team India, Pant has been a story of comebacks as well.

He played in the IPL for Delhi Capitals to come back into his groove after missing cricket for one and a half years due to his near-fatal accident. From there on, he was chosen as the first-choice keeper-batter for India in the T20 World Cup 2024. He scored 171 runs for India in this T20 World Cup, took 13 catches, and affected a stumping as well. 

His scores with the bat in this World Cup are 36*, 42, 18, 20, 36, 15, 4 and 0. He scored a duck unfortunately in the final but took the crucial catch of Heinrich Klaasen off the bowling of Hardik Pandya in the 17th over. 

While speaking to PM Narendra Modi at his residence, the southpaw looked back at his accident and recalled how a phone call from the Indian Prime Minister to his mother gave him the courage to make a comeback. He also spoke about how determined he became after his accident to make a comeback. 

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Rishabh Pant Relieves His Near-Fatal Accident

#WATCH | During his interaction with PM Modi, Cricketer Rishabh Pant said, "...1.5 years ago I had an accident, so I was going through a very difficult phase, I remember that very well because your call came to my mother and my mother told me that Sir had said that there is no… pic.twitter.com/wT7cnLcTzW

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2024

“…1.5 years ago, I was going through a very difficult phase. I remember that you called my mother and said everything would be fine, it was then I became a little calm mentally. After that, during recovery, I used to hear from people whether I would ever be able to play cricket or not, wicketkeeping was the main concern as many suggested that I wouldn't be able to keep the gloves again. So for the last 1.5 years, I was thinking that I should come back to the field and do better than what I was doing. I just wanted to prove myself and play for the country and win matches for the country once again," Pant said.

PM Modi also spoke about his conversation with Pant's mother.

“When I talked to your mother, I also had a chat with the doctors and asked them whether he was required to be taken abroad for further treatment. Your mother was really confident of your recovery. During the conversation, it seemed like she was giving me the assurance. That time I knew that a person who is blessed with such a mother will definitely achieve something big. The thing which I liked the most was you accepted that it was your mistake, not anyone else's. You could have put the blame on anything else. You are an inspiration for everyone and you truly showed us that you won the war,” PM Modi said.

Rishabh Pant missed a lot of cricket since his accident. He missed the 2023 IPL followed by the ODI World Cup. He made a comeback in the IPL 2024 and through strong performances with the bat and behind the wickets, regained his place in the side. 

The Delhi Capitals skipper scored 446 runs in 13 matches for Delhi Capitals at an average of 40.55 and a strike rate above 150. That was his dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup and when the time came, he performed with the bat as well. 

India scored 176 in the final on the back of Virat Kohli's 76 after India were in jitters early. There was good support from Axar Patel (47) first and then Shivam Dube (27 off 16). South Africa had to chase a record score of 177 to win the match. 

Halfway through their chase, they were well in the game with Heinrich Klaasesn and Quinton de Kock batting. Pandya's dismissal of Klaasesn in the 17th over and Jasprit Bumrah's wicket of Marco Jansen in the 18th over turned the match in India's favor. 

Hardik then defended 16 off the final over and also dismissed David Miller and Kagiso Rabada as India won the match by seven runs and ended their ICC title drought. This was India's first ICC title in 11 years and their first T20 World Cup title in 17 years. 

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