1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev was blasted for his “insensitive” remarks on injured India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant ahead of the Rohit Sharma-led side's first Test against Australia in Nagpur.

“I love him very much. I want him to get well and when he gets well If you go, I will go and slap you hard, because take care of yourself. Look, your injury has spoiled the combination of the whole team. That's why there is love and affection that you get well soon. Then there is also anger that such mistakes today’s youth Why do boys do it? There should be a slap for that too,” Kapil Dev told Uncut.

Kapil Dev's comments didn't go well with Team India's supporters as they hit out at the legendary cricketer for mocking a young player who survived a near-fatal crash.

While some called him an idiot, others claimed that age has caught up with Kapil Dev, and that's why he was making such statements.

 

It isn't the first time Kapil Dev has blamed Rishabh Pant's rash driving for his life-threatening accident and putting his cricket career on the line.

Kapil Dev is known for his harsh assessments – he was critical of Pant's decision to drive the vehicle when he met with an accident on the Delhi Dehradun highway in December 2022.

According to Kapil Dev, Rishabh Pant could easily afford a chauffeur to drive his vehicle, and he should immediately hire someone to avoid such incidents in the future.

Kapil Dev also urged Rishabh Pant to curb his tendencies for thrill which he claimed was normal for a man his age. For the unversed, Rishabh Pant is 25.

“This is a learning. When I was still an up-and-coming cricketer, I faced a motorcycle accident. From that day onwards, my brother didn’t even let me touch the motorbike. I’m just thankful to god that Rishabh Pant is safe,” Kapil Dev said in an interaction with ABP News.

“Yes, you have a good-looking car with great speeds but you have to be careful. You can easily afford a driver, you don’t have to drive it alone. I understand that one has hobbies or even passion for such things, it’s natural to have it at his age, but you also have responsibilities. Only you can take care of yourself. You have to decide things for yourself,” Kapil Dev added.

Speaking about Rishabh Pant, he will miss most of the 2023 cricket season following his twin surgeries in Mumbai last month.

As per a prominent cricket publication, Rishabh Pant will certainly not be available for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the World Test Championship final in June.

All three ligaments in Rishabh Pant’s knee suffered damage in the accident he suffered in Uttarakhand six weeks ago.

Two ligaments in Rishabh Pant's knee have been reconstructed after surgeries at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital in Mumbai.

According to the media outlet, “all three ligaments in the knee – anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, and medial collateral ligament, which are necessary for movement and stability – have been torn in Pant’s case. It is understood that in the surgery conducted recently, both the PCL and MCL were reconstructed. Pant will need to undergo another surgery to reconstruct his ACL, but the doctors will wait for at least six weeks before going ahead with it.”

As a result, Rishabh Pant will remain sidelined for at least six months, throwing his selection for the ODI World Cup in October-November in limbo.

Widely regarded as the best wicketkeeper-batter in Tests, Rishabh Pant has scored 2169 runs in 54 innings in the whites, including five centuries and ten half-centuries. He has a stunning strike rate of 73.10 and averages 43.48 in the five-day format.

In December, he powered India to a 2-0 whitewash of Bangladesh in the Test series in the neighboring country. In the process, Rishabh Pant joined a select band of Indian wicketkeepers, including former captain MS Dhoni to complete 4,000 runs in international cricket.

Earlier this week, Rishabh Pant gave an update about his health, sharing a picture with an emotional caption, highlighting the shocking events since his accident.

Meanwhile, former Australia skipper Ian Chappell reckons that India will miss the services of Rishabh Pant against the Pat Cummins-led side because of his ability to change the complexion of the match within hours with his explosive batting.

“India are really going to really miss Rishabh Pant. The Australians will be happy. He is a counter attacker, the guy who keep you awake are guys who score quickly and changes game in one session. Pant was one such player,” Ian Chappell told Star Sports.