Rishabh Pant accident: “We are very indebted to you” - VVS Laxman expresses gratitude to bus driver who rescued cricketer from burning car

Former Indian batter VVS Laxman has expressed gratitude to Sushil Kumar, a Haryana Roadways driver, who was among those who took Rishabh Pant away from his burning car after the cricketer’s horrific accident on Friday, December 30.

The 25-year-old keeper-batter was apparently going home to surprise his mother for the New Year. However, the car he was driving crashed into the divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway while he was traveling from Uttarakhand to Delhi. Pant was alone in the vehicle and had to break a window to escape after his car caught fire.

Kumar, a bus driver, not only pulled the badly injured cricketer away from the car but also wrapped him up with a bedsheet and called the ambulance. Hailing Kumar as a real hero, Laxman took to his official social media handle and tweeted:

“Gratitude to #SushilKumar, a Haryana Roadways driver who took #RishabhPant away from the burning car, wrapped him with a bedsheet and called the ambulance. We are very indebted to you for your selfless service, Sushil ji 🙏 #RealHero.”

As per the latest updates from Max Hospital in Dehradun, where the cricketer is receiving treatment, Pant is "stable, conscious and oriented". According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the cricketer’s brain and spine MRI scan results are normal.

The report also stated that Pant had to undergo plastic surgery to manage his facial injuries, lacerated wounds, and abrasions.

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“I don't watch cricket and I didn't know this is Rishabh Pant” - Sushil Kumar

Kumar, who is being hailed for his selfless act of rescuing a star cricketer from a burning car, has stated that he had no idea who the accident victim was.

Speaking to NDTV earlier in the day, he said:

"I don't watch cricket and I didn't know this is Rishabh Pant. But others in my bus recognised him.”

Providing details of the accident spot and how he, along with a few others, managed to pull the cricketer out of the mangled and burning car, Kumar said:

"I put my bus on the side and quickly ran towards the divider. I thought the car would flip under the bus as it was turning over and over before it stopped. The driver (Mr Pant) was half out of the window. He told me he's a cricketer.

"After removing Rishabh, I quickly searched the car to check if anyone else was there. I took out his blue bag and ₹ 7,000-Rs 8,000 rupees from the car and gave it to him in the ambulance.”

Kumar also revealed that Pant had requested him to call up his mother, but her phone was switched off.

Meanwhile, Haryana Roadways honored its driver Kumar and conductor Paramjeet for helping Pant get out of his car after the accident.

Haryana Roadways Panipat Depot general manager Kuldeep Jangra told PTI over the phone that the duo were presented with an appreciation letter and a shield in the office when they returned to Panipat.