Hardik Pandya opens up on Rishabh Pant's India future after car accident

Team India stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya made an honest admission about Rishabh Pant’s impact in the side after the latter injured himself in a freak car accident. Pant endured multiple injuries after his car crashed into a divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway on December 30 and is currently admitted in Dehradun's Max Hospital.

On the eve of the India-Sri Lanka T20I series, Pandya shared his thoughts on his teammate’s accident. The skipper acknowledged that Pant’s absence would be felt by every member in the team. 

“See, what happened is very unfortunate; no one had control over it. As a team, we wish him all the best. Our love and prayers are always with him that he gets a speedy recovery. Obviously, he was very important. But now everyone knows where the situation stands and there are a lot of people who can get opportunities,” Pandya was quoted by Hindustan Times.

“If Rishabh also would have been there, it would have been a big difference because of the kind of player he is. But now, we have to see what the future holds for us and go forward with it,” he added.

India play the Islanders in multi-format series

India cross swords with neighbours Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series followed by as many 50-over contests. It is worth mentioning that Pant was excluded from both the ODI and T20I squads against the Islanders due to his underwhelming run in white-ball cricket in 2022.

Speaking about their head-to-head records, the Asia Cup 2022 winners have registered wins in eight T20I matches while the Men in Blue have stamped their authority with 17 wins. Similarly, team India has been dominant in the 50-over format too, taking a massive lead with 93 wins in 162 games whereas the Lankan Lions have won on 57 occasions, with 11 matches yielding no result and one match resulting in a tie.