• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Nitish Rana Reflects On Unknown Moments Spent With Bestfriend Rishabh Pant Post Lethal Accident

Nitish Rana Reflects On Unknown Moments Spent With 'Bestfriend' Rishabh Pant Post Lethal Accident

Rishabh Pant shares a close bond with Nitish Rana (x.com)Rishabh Pant shares a close bond with Nitish Rana (x.com)

Recently on a YouTube podcast, cricketer Nitish Rana shared an emotional recount of the aftermath of Rishabh Pant's tragic accident. Rana's narrative painted a clear picture of Pant’s fighting attitude and their brotherhood.


Nitish Rana opened up on his deep friendship with Rishabh Pant

Nitish Rana revealed that he was among the first to visit Pant in Dehradun, arriving within 24 hours of the accident.

"When Rishabh's accident occurred, I was the first person, aside from his mom and manager who was already in Dehradun, to see him. His sister was flying in from London that same day. When I got there and saw him, one of his eyes was closed while the other was slightly open. Despite his condition, he could see me," Rana recounted on the Beerbiceps Podcast.

The sight of Rana brought a flicker of happiness to Rishabh Pant's face.

"I could see the joy on his face when he saw me because he needed us there. He didn’t know I was coming, so when he saw my face, there was a look of contentment, like his own family had come," Rana added.


Despite Pant's severe condition, Rana chose not to speak much, understanding that Pant's state required more care than conversation.

"The accident happened around the 29th or 30th, and I arrived on the morning of the 31st. By the evening of the 31st, he had improved a bit and was able to talk a little with his mom, his sister, and me, and he even managed to smile," said Rana.

The southpaw further disclosed that everyone there decided to celebrate New Year's Eve, determined not to let the tragedy dictate the dawn of a new year.

"We thought, whatever happened has happened. The accident happened last year, and we can’t start the new year on a sad note. We knew we couldn’t heal him immediately, but we thought, let's get a cake and celebrate right there in the hospital. The past year is gone, but we won't start the new year like this," Rana shared.

Rana then went on to reveal that Pant whispered a simple but heartfelt request to him.

 "During the celebration, he whispered in my ear, 'Please get me chili paneer.' He couldn’t open his mouth fully, so I asked him how he planned to eat it. He said, 'I’ll manage.' We ended up using a tissue to feed him the chili paneer," Rana recalled with a smile.

Fast forward to today, Rishabh Pant has not only recovered but has also made a glorious return to cricket. After a brilliant performance in IPL 2024, he is now India's leading run-scorer in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.