Rishabh Pant car accident: DDCA blames pothole for crash, contradict police statement

In the latest turn of events, the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has contradicted the police statement in the Rishabh Pant car accident case, saying that the cricketer was trying to manoeuvre his vehicle through a pothole-riddled road when the crash happened. The Uttarakhand police had earlier claimed that Pant fell asleep behind the wheel which caused the accident on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. 

DDCA blames potholes on road for Pant accident

DDCA director Shyam Sharma informed reporters on Saturday that Pant has told him that he was trying to save his car from potholes when the accident occurred. Sharma's statement completely contradicts the version that the Uttarakhand police had put out earlier, where they had claimed that Pant dozed off while driving which caused the accident. Meanwhile, the Republic TV team on the spot also confirmed that there were many potholes on the road where the accident happened on Friday. 

Locals in the neighbourhood have confirmed to our reporter that numerous accidents had occurred in the same location over the course of the last two to three years and officials did little to improve the condition of the road. The latest twist in the case is pointing fingers at the Uttarakhand police and local municipal authorities. 

Pant's car collided with the divider on NH-58 near Manglaur and rolled over multiple times before catching fire. The accident happened at around 5:30 am. Pant was going to Roorkee from Delhi to meet his relatives. After the accident, Pant was rushed to a local hospital in Roorkee before being moved to the Max Hospital in Dehradun, where he is currently undergoing treatment. 

Pant's condition at the moment is stable but he remains under doctors' supervision. Pant was expected to return to the Indian Test side for the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia in February. However, the accident will most likely delay his return to the national team. Pant was last seen in action during the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

On Friday, the BCCI named Pant as Team India's top performer in Tests in 2022. Pant has been named India's top Test player in 2022 thanks to his 680 runs in seven matches at an average of 61.81. He also has four fifties and two centuries to his name. 

Image: AP