Rishabh Pant’s unforgettable comeback from a life-threatening car crash to Test glory for India has been recognised with a nomination for the prestigious Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. Pant will represent both India and the sport of cricket as the world’s biggest sports awards celebrates its 25th anniversary. (More Cricket News)
Rishabh Pant Nominated For Comeback Of The Year In 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards
On his comeback Test, Pant scored a match-winning century against Bangladesh, equalling MS Dhoni’s record for the most Test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper
Nominees for the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards are decided after a vote by the world’s sports media.
The ceremony will take place in in Madrid, Spain, on April 21 and be a celebration of the greatest athletic achievements of 2024 and the best sporting moments from the 25 years since the first Laureus World Sports Awards, in 2000.
Rishabh Pant’s story has more drama than any sports movie script: a national hero and a sporting icon who almost lost everything in an accident; a long and testing road to recovery; and finally a heroic comeback on the biggest stage, cheered on by millions of Indian cricket fans.
“I felt my time in this world was up,” said Pant of the accident in December 2020 on the Delhi-Dehradun highway, in which he had to be pulled from his vehicle before it burst into flames. Pant was fortunate not to lose a leg and suffered multiple critical injuries before beginning a 629-day journey back to Test cricket.
The movie script ended in the perfect finale – on his comeback Test, he scored a match-winning century against Bangladesh, equalling MS Dhoni’s record for the most Test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper.
Reflecting on his nomination for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, Rishabh Pant said: “I have always believed that the biggest virtue of life is to be grateful for everything God has blessed you with. Over the course of my life, I have focused in being positive and happy in every situation, trusting the power of self-belief and resilience to deal with every challenge. ”
Pant is joined on the shortlist by gymnast Rebeca Andrade who successfully battled through a tortuous struggle with anterior cruciate ligament injures to win gold in Paris; ski racer Lara Gut-Behrami and swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who defended her Olympic 400m freestyle title shortly after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour on her ovary; Caeleb Dressel, who won two relay golds in the pool in Paris after a break to address his mental health, and Marc Márquez, the Spanish Moto GP ace who won three Grands Prix after an arm injury that threatened his career.
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Laureus Ambassador and legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh said: “He (Pant) is an example to all sportsmen and women that maintaining a positive approach to injury and setbacks is vital to returning to competitive action.”
It will be up to the 69 sporting icons of the Laureus World Sports Academy to cast their votes and determine who will add their names to the exclusive list of those to receive a coveted Laureus Statuette.
LAUREUS WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
Rebeca Andrade (Brazil) Gymnastics - battling back from injury, she won Olympic gold, two silvers and bronze
Caeleb Dressel (USA) Swimming - overcame mental health issues to win two relay golds and a silver in Paris
Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland) Alpine Skiing - won overall World Cup title for first time since 2015/16 season
Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling - returned from serious injury to win three Grand Prix in 2024
Rishabh Pant (India) Cricket - 629 days after a life-threatening car crash, returned to play for India Test team
Ariarne Titmus (Australia) Swimming - defended her Olympic 400m freestyle title less than year after being diagnosed with a tumour
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