Rishabh Pant met with a horrific accident on Friday morning as he was driving from Delhi to Dehradun in his Mercedes Benz. His car caught fire after it hit a divider. Pant was fortunate enough to come out of the car in time, though he suffered a ligament tear in his right knee and cuts above his forehead. His condition is stable. A Haryana Roadways bus driver, named Sushil Mann, was among the people who took cricketer Rishabh Pant out of the Mercedes SUV after it crashed. Mann said he did not know who the injured man was and acted swiftly to arrange for an ambulance.

Haryana Roadways later honoured Sushil, news agency PTI reported. “We gave them an appreciation letter and a shield in our office when they returned to Panipat,” Haryana Roadways Panipat depot general manager Kuldeep Jangra told PTI.

VVS Laxman, former India batter and current NCA head, hailed Sushil. “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,” Laxman wrote in a tweet.

“Also special mention to the bus conductor, Paramjit who along with Driver Sushil helped Rishabh. Very grateful to these selfless guys who had great presence of mind and a big heart. Gratitude to them and all who helped,” he wrote in another tweet.

Also special mention to the bus conductor, Paramjit who along with Driver Sushil helped Rishabh. Very grateful to these selfless guys who had great presence of mind and a big heart. Gratitude to them and all who helped. pic.twitter.com/FtNnoLKowg

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) December 30, 2022

Sushil Mann, the bus driver, told NDTV that the SUV was coming in high speed from the opposite direction and it hit the divider.

“I put my bus on the side and quickly ran towards the divider,” Mr Mann said.

“I thought the car would flip under the bus as it was turning over and over before it stopped,” he said. “The driver (Mr Pant) was half out of the window. He told me he’s a cricketer,” Mr Mann said, adding the cricketer asked him to call his mother, whose phone was, however, switched off.

“I don’t watch cricket and I didn’t know this is Rishabh Pant is. But others in my bus recognised him,” Mr Mann said.

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

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