Going to put best foot forward to make IND happy again: Pant on air tragedy

India vice-captain Rishabh Pant on Wednesday said the players will keep the tragic Ahmedabad air crash in their mind, promising to make the country happy again by producing a stellar performance in the upcoming Test series against England.

A London-bound Air India flight crashed moments after its takeoff, killing 241 passengers and crew members aboard last week in one of the most gruesome tragedies in the country's aviation history.

"What happened in the aircraft (crash), I think the whole India was disheartened but at the same time the only thing from our sidewe are going to be sticking with them, how we can make India happy again, Pant said in a press conference here on Wednesday.

The wicket-keeper batter said the team will put its best foot forward in the five-match series, beginning here from Friday.

"Obviously, the emotion is going to be high because of what happened in the crash but at the same time we are going to put our best foot forward for the country, how we can make them happy and that's an added responsibility always, he added.

Elaborating his point in a general context, Pant said the Indian cricketers are always expected to register victories.

"You want to make India happy all the time but as a cricketer it's not possible all the time but what I can promise from our side is we are going to put our best foot forward and we are going to give our 200% and in that process we are going to make India a lot happier place, he said.

On a personal level, Pant said it was a tough process to make a comeback from the horrific car accident that he suffered in late 2022.

"Coming forward, the last two years have been tough coming back from the (car) accident but at the same time I want to be an individual who is learning each and every day.

"See for me after my accident just being on the ground and making people believe that I can come back and the kind of love they have shown me, it's always going to be special for me," he added.