‘He tried to avoid a pothole’ – Delhi cricket official opens up on conversation between him and Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper batter was not speeding or intoxicated, according to the Uttarakhand Police on Saturday. He was the cause of the early Friday collision in Haridwar. The cricketer’s vehicle, which struck the road divider close to his hometown of Roorkee, can be seen on CCTV footage of the incident appearing to have occurred quickly.

Pant, who is undergoing treatment in a hospital in Dehradun, informed authorities that he fell asleep while driving and lost control of the car before it collided with a divider, overturned, and caught fire, Ashok Kumar, director general of police for Uttarakhand said.

The 25-year-old was saved by the driver and conductor of a Haryana Roadways bus and then taken by ambulance to Saksham Hospital in Roorkee and then to Max Hospital in Dehradun with injuries to his forehead, right knee, and back.

He is stable and recovering well: Delhi Cricket Official

Ajai Singh, senior superintendent of police from Haridwar said on Saturday:

“We’ve checked eight to 10-speed cameras from the Uttar Pradesh border to the accident spot in Narsan; the cricketer’s car didn’t cross the speed limit, which is 80 km per hour on that national highway. In the CCTV footage, the car appears to be at a high speed because it was tossed in the air after hitting the divider. Our technical team also inspected the accident site. We didn’t find anything that suggests overspeeding by the cricketer.”

“If he would have been drunk, how could he drive 200 km from Delhi and not meet with any accident for such a long distance? The doctor who gave him first aid at the Roorkee hospital also stated he was completely normal. That’s why he was able to successfully pull himself out of the car. Anybody drunk would not have been able to get out of the car,” the SSP added.

Pant told police at the time of the incident that he couldn’t recall how it happened, according to SP (rural), Swapn Kishore Singh of Haridwar. The gutted car was checked at the Narsan police checkpoint by forensic experts, the NHAI (highway authority), and transport department officials, according to officials.

Pant is stable and is still receiving treatment at Max Dehradun, a representative stated on Saturday. Shyam Sharma, the director of the Delhi and District Cricket Association, visited Pant at the hospital on Saturday.

“He is stable and recovering well. The Indian Cricket Board doctors are in touch with doctors at this hospital. The board would take a call on whether he has to be shifted anywhere for the best treatment. Pant told me he tried to avoid a pothole when the accident occurred,” told the reporters.