Rishabh Pant is likely to be sidelined from cricket for an extended period of time following his horrific car crash on Friday (December 30). The wicketkeeper-batter is currently admitted to Max Hospital in Dehradun and his condition is stable.
Pant sustained multiple injuries from the crash near Gurukul, Narsan in the state of Uttarakhand, including a couple of cuts on his forehead. He also hurt his right wrist, ankle, toe and suffered abrasion injuries on his back and a ligament tear in his right knee, as confirmed by the BCCI.
As a result of these injuries, chances are almost nil of the 25-year-old recovering sufficiently to take the field against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to be played in February-March. He is also likely to miss the IPL 2023, where he was slated to lead the Delhi Capitals franchise.
According to Cricbuzz reports, the exact nature of treatment and time required for Pant's recovery and rehab can be decided only after the treatment to his ligament tear on right knee starts. The BCCI medical team is monitoring the progress of the left-hander and if required may fly him to Mumbai or Delhi when he is in a position to move.
Currently receiving treatment at the Max Hospital in Derhadun, Pant will be allowed to recover from his external injuries before the treatment on the ligament tear starts. The BCCI has reportedly taken upon itself the task of treating the ligament tear as the board doesn't want to put his career in any danger.
The possibility of sending Pant abroad for treatment is also not ruled out but that will be decided in due course. The BCCI said it will see to it that Pant receives the best possible medical care and gets all the support he needs to come out of the traumatic phase.
Pant was not picked for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka, and was supposed to be at the National Cricket Academy for two weeks to attend to a knee niggle which had been bothering him for some time. But now, it seems his hiatus from top-level cricket will be a long one.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
