Rishabh Pant

India's most fearless batsman — survived a near-fatal car crash and returned to Test cricket within 18 months.

Rishabh Rajendra Pant was born in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India in 1997. He made his international debut in 2017 aged 19. His Test batting average of 43.5 includes multiple match-winning innings outside India — including the famous unbeaten century at the Gabba in Brisbane in 2021 that ended Australia's unbeaten run at that ground since 1988. His batting style — attacking from the first ball, improvised scoops and ramps, hitting against the spin and pace in unconventional ways — makes him simultaneously the most entertaining and most anxiety-inducing batsman in Indian cricket. On 30 December 2022 he fell asleep at the wheel while driving on the Delhi-Haridwar highway, crashed his car into a road divider and suffered multiple injuries including ligament damage, a fractured skull and burns. He required multiple surgeries. He returned to competitive cricket in October 2023 — less than 18 months after the accident — and played a match-winning innings in his comeback Test. He was sold for ₹27 crore ($3.3 million) at the IPL auction in 2025 — the most expensive player in IPL auction history. His combination of physical courage, individual brilliance and the comeback narrative make him one of cricket's most beloved figures.

• ICC T20 World Cup (2024)
• Test victories in Australia and England as captain
• IPL Champion (Delhi Capitals 2020)