Indian cricketers Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar on Monday prayed to Lord Shiva at the famous Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain for the speedy recovery of their colleague Rishabh Pant, who met with a tragic accident about a month back.
Clad in sacred saffron-coloured traditional attire, the three Indian cricket stars accompanied by team staff performed ‘jalabhishek’ at the temple early on Monday morning. They will play the third one-day international (ODI) match against New Zealand in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media, Suryakumar said, “We prayed for the speedy recovery of Rishabh Pant. His comeback is very important to us.”
Speaking about the series against New Zealand, he said, “We have already won the series against New Zealand, looking forward to the final match against them.”
The players donned dhoti and angavastram – traditional Indian attire – and performed ‘bhasma aarti’ of Lord Shiva during their temple visit, visuals showed.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant sustained serious injuries in a car accident near Roorkee on the Delhi-Haridwar highway in the wee hours of December 30. He was driving his Mercedes-Benz GLE luxury car to his home in Roorkee when the speeding SUV hit a divider, overturned in the air and caught fire.
Pant broke the windscreen to come out of the car and was helped by some good Samaritans, who gave him his clothes and called the police. He received two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and also hurt his right wrist, ankle and toe. The young cricketer had also abrasion injuries on his back.
He is currently being treated at a private hospital in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue are set to play their third ODI of the series against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on January 24. The hosts have already clinched the series by winning the first two matches.