“I had seen him drive once” - Shikhar Dhawan opens up on viral video of him giving driving advice to Rishabh Pant

Seasoned Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan has opened up about the viral video in which he is heard asking Rishabh Pant to drive carefully. Admitting that he had forgotten about the interaction until the clip went viral after Pant’s horrific car accident, the opener stated that his advice to the keeper-batter was a genuine one.

Pant suffered multiple injuries in a road accident near Roorkee on the morning of December 30 last year. He is currently recuperating and is likely to be out of action for at least a few months.

In the wake of Pant’s accident, an old video of the young cricketer with Dhawan when the latter was part of Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL, went viral. In the clip, Dhawan is seen advising the keeper-batter to drive carefully.

In an interview with Aaj Tak, the 37-year-old shared his thoughts on Pant’s accident and the viral video. He stated:

“First of all, I am happy that Rishabh survived the accident and is recovering well. I keep talking to him. I had seen him drive once and I told him to drive carefully when he interviewed me. I didn’t even remember that, but somehow that went viral on social media. I had given him genuine advice, from the heart, asking him to drive carefully.

“When you are 20-21, everyone has that enthusiasm. Rishabh Pant is not the only one who has driven rashly. I also did it when I was of that age. Many other youngsters would have done the same. It's important to rein in that adrenaline. I gave him advice a bit late, but yes I did give it to him.”

In Pant’s absence, veteran Australian opener David Warner will be leading the Delhi franchise in IPL 2023.

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Raina, Harbhajan, and Sreesanth visit Rishabh Pant

Even as Pant is slowly getting back on his feet following the car accident, he is being visited by well-wishers. On Saturday, March 25, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, and Sreesanth met the keeper-batter.

Raina shared a picture of the visit on his official Instagram handle with a touching caption. He wrote:

“Brotherhood is everything ..family is where our heart is..wishing our brother @rishabpant the very best and very fast recovery…#family #life #brotherhood#time #keep believing brother..we are always there with you..u will fly high like the phoenix.”

Earlier, Bollywood singer Guru Randhawa also visited the cricketer and shared a picture of the same on social media, wishing Pant a speedy recovery.