Explosive wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who is eyeing return to action in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, for the first time since the near-fatal crash on December 30, 2022, said the first thought that came to him was that his “time in this world was over.”

Having been “fortunate to have a second life”, Pant said the biggest lesson he has learned from this experience is to always have self-belief.

“First time in my life I had that feeling of letting it go. I felt my time in this world was over. It was the first time I had such a feeling in life. At the time of the accident, I was aware of the wounds, but I was lucky as it could have been even more serious,” he said in an interview to host broadcaster for their documentary titled Believe: To Death & Back.

After undergoing initial treatment at a hospital in Dehradun, Pant was airlifted to Mumbai where he was under the care of BCCI’s specialist consultant. After undergoing surgeries to reconstruct all three ligaments in his right knee, Pant underwent his rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

“I am focusing on recovery cut off from the world,” he said. “It helps me in recovering fast, especially when the injury is so serious. For recovery, you have to do the same thing every day. It’s boring, it’s irritating, it’s frustrating, but you have to do it.

“Till the time I start playing cricket, I don’t want to plan much for the future. I asked the doctor how long will it take for me to recover? I told him that everybody is speaking different things, but you will give me the most clarity about it. He said it would take 16 to 18 months. I told the doctor from whatever timeline you give me, I will reduce six months from it.”

Pant also expressed his gratitude to Rajat Kumar and Nishu Kumar, who pulled him out of his SUV before it went up in flames. In a social-media post last January, Pant said he was “forever grateful and indebted” to them.

Recounting details of those initial moments after the car crash, Pant said his right knee had dislocated – turning 180 degrees to the right as he was lying face down. “There was someone around so I asked if he could help getting the leg back in the position. He helped the knee get back in place.”

He was in excruciating pain and later realised how lucky he was to emerge from the accident without losing his leg. “If there was any nerve damage, there was a possibility of amputation. That is when I felt scared,” he said.