Rishabh Pant’s plan to surprise his mother ahead of the new year turned into a horrific accident after his car collided with a road divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in the wee hours on Friday.
The star India wicket-keeper batter was lucky to survive serious injuries due to his alertness, jumping off his Mercedes in the nick of time as the car went up in flames after hitting the divider.
Dr. Sushil Nagar, who was the first to attend to Pant in the emergency ward of Saksham Hospital near Roorkee, said the cricketer didn’t suffer any fracture but there was a ligament injury on his knee which would require further investigation.
“When he was brought to our hospital, he was fully conscious and I spoke to him. He wanted to surprise his mother and was going back home,” Nagar told PTI.
He suffered big bruises on his back but Nagar said those are not burn injuries.
“The injuries happened because he jumped out of car by breaking the window of his car as soon as it caught fire. As he landed on the side of the road on his rear, the skin peeled off. But those are not burn injuries and not very serious.”
The 25-year-old dozed off and lost control of his Mercedes early morning on Friday en route to his home in Roorkee. He was alone in the car.
The accident happened at Mohammadpur Jat in Manglaur town of Haridwar district.
He suffered injuries on his head, back and feet but is in a stable condition.
“He had two lacerations (blunt trauma) on his head but I didn’t put stitches. I have recommended him to Max Hospital where a plastic surgeon might see him,” Nagar said.
The doctor, however, said Pant suffered a ligament tear on his right knee and the extent of that injury can only be ascertained after an MRI scan.
“However reports of X Rays conducted at our hospital suggest that there are no bone injuries. Yes, there is a ligament tear on his right knee. How serious it is can only be detected after further investigation and detailed MRI,” he said.
Ligament injuries have various grades and it can take 2 to 6 months to regain full fitness, which puts a serious question mark over Pant’s availability for the home Test series against Australia, starting February 9.
Pant was not part of the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka beginning on January 3. He was supposed to join the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for a strength and conditioning programme ahead of February’s Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The explosive left-handed wicket-keeper batter has scored 2,271 runs in 33 Tests so far with the help of five hundreds and 11 half-centuries. He has also represented the country in 30 ODIs and 66 T20Is, scoring 865 and 987 runs respectively.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who sent in their best wishes for his speedy recovery.
“Distressed by the accident of noted cricketer Rishabh Pant. I pray for his good health and well-being. @RishabhPant17,” the prime minister said on Twitter.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said his government will bear the entire expense of Pant’s treatment.
Dhami spoke to the cricketer’s mother and assured her that the state government will provide all necessary support. He also spoke to officials and asked them to make all arrangements for his treatment.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India will see to it that Pant receives the best possible medical care and gets all the support he needs to come out of this traumatic phase, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement about the keeper-batter who played a big role in India’s two-Test series win against Bangladesh. He scored a match-winning knock of 93 in the second Test in Mirpur.
“The BCCI is in constant touch with Rishabh’s family while the medical team is in close contact with the doctors currently treating Rishabh.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with Rishabh Pant as he fights his way back to recovery… We will provide him with all the necessary support,” Shah added in a tweet.
Get well messages poured in from his colleagues and fans in India and abroad.
DDCA secretary Siddharth Sahib Singh said in a statement, “We are all concerned but thankfully he is stable. We, at DDCA, are keeping a tab and wish him a speedy recovery.”
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and many other teammates wished him speedy recovery.
“Praying for Rishabh Pant. Thankfully he is out of danger. Wishing @RishabhPant17 a very speedy recovery. Get well soon Champ,” former India batter and National Cricket Academy chief VVS Laxman said.
“Wishing dear Pant a super speedy recovery. Bahut hi Jald swasth ho jaao,” tweeted former India opener Virender Sehwag.
IPL franchise Delhi Capitals also wished speedy recovery for their skipper as head coach Ricky Ponting also sent his message from Down Under.
🚨 Statement from BCCI 🚨
Rishabh Pant’s condition remains stable, and he has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment. pic.twitter.com/fibrOlSTsv
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 30, 2022
“Hope you’re on the mend and back on your feet soon,” Ponting wrote.
Pant’s Delhi and India teammate Shikhar Dhawan tweeted: “Thank you God ki kaafi bachaav hogaya. Sending you lots of healing, prayers and positivity. May you regain your strength and good health soon.”
Wishes also came in from across the border with Pakistani speed gun Shaheen Shah Afridi tweeting: “Praying for Pant.”
“Hope there’s nothing serious Pant. I wish you a quick recovery and many prayers bhai. InshaAllah you will be fine and back on the field very soon,” wrote Pakistan seamer Hassan Ali.
England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who broke his leg and dislocated his ankle while playing golf in September, joined in in wishing Pant.
Pant was left out of the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka beginning on 3 January as he was supposed to join the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning programme ahead of February’s Border Gavaskar Trophy.
As of now, there is no clarity on his availability for the series against Australia.
