India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant on Tuesday said that even though the attraction of playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) is understandable, up and coming players should always aim to play for the country. Pant, who was part of India’s triumphant Champions Trophy squad but did not get a game, made his international debut back in 2017.
“Since childhood, I had only one dream—to play for India. I never even thought about playing in the IPL. I think today, people are more focused on the IPL. Of course, it’s a great platform, but I believe that if your goal is to play for your country, everything else—including the IPL—will eventually fall into place,” Pant told JioHotstar.
“If you have that bigger mindset, success will follow. I always believed that I would play for India one day, and God has been kind. At 18, I got the opportunity to make my debut, and I am grateful for that,” said the 27-year-old.
Last week, Pant was nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Award 2025 in the comeback of the year category after his return to the Indian side after surviving a horrific car accident in December 2022. The awards ceremony will take place in Madrid on April 21.
Pant had suffered multiple injuries when his car collided with a road divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. The player, who was going to his home in Roorkee, was taken to a local hospital before being shifted to Dehradun. He had suffered injuries on his head, back and feet.
After undergoing initial treatment at a hospital in Dehradun, Pant was airlifted to Mumbai where he was under the care of the BCCI’s specialist consultant. Once the surgeries to reconstruct all three ligaments in his right knee were performed, Pant did his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
