'Ye Bhai Gaya' - Axar Patel Reveals How He Learnt Of Pant's Accident 

image-lqsyzoxuAxar and Pant have been close friends (Twitter)

Axar Patel recalled fearing the worst may have just happened upon learning of his longstanding friend and India teammate Rishabh Pant's horrific car accident last December. 

The Indian cricketer stood in shock when his sister Pratima called him and asked if he had Pant's mother's phone number as she wanted to tell her the wicketkeeper-batter had just experienced a life-threatening car crash at the Delhi-Dehradun highway. 



Axar said his first reaction was that his friend was probably gone in the accident and it was only when he learnt that Pant was alive and had bruises and injuries that he took a sigh of relief and backed the fighting cricketer to come back hard. 

Axar Reveals First Reaction To Pant's Accident 

In a special video issued by Pant's Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) on the one-year completion of the unfortunate accident on Saturday (December 30), Axar revealed how difficult the initial hours were for him the moment he learnt about the car crash. 

"Early morning I got a call from sister Pratima. She asked me when did I talk to Rishabh Pant last? I told her that I was about to talk to him last day but I did not," Axar said. 


"Pratima said that she needed Pant's mother's contact number as the player has met an accident. At first time, I thought he is gone," he added. 

Pant thankfully survived the accident but had to undergo extensive medical care and attention with surgeries taken to for his multiple injuries and the player has been in rehab since. 

The 26-year-old, who has missed the last 12 months of cricket, is being touted for a comeback in 2024, potentially via the next IPL season for the Capitals. 

"I called him and they (medical staff) said, 'he is fine, it is not understood yet how many injuries he has suffered but he is alive'. And after that I ended the call and took a sigh of relief. Now I was assured that he'll fight. He is a fighter," Axar said of Pant.