Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper-batsman of the Indian cricket team, was involved in a major accident while he was returning from Delhi to Uttarakhand.
His car collided with the divider and caught fire near Hammadpur Jhal, near the Narsan boundary of Roorkee near the Delhi-Dehradun highway. Some reports claim he was driving a Mercedes.
The batsman was alone in the car at the time of the accident, and according to Uttarakhand Police Director General Ashok Kumar, he broke the windscreen to get out of the burning car. As a result of the collision, he has head, knee, and shin injuries. He has been transferred to the Max Hospital in Dehradun since his leg may have fractured.
In one of the videos, Pant, covered in blood, can be seen being helped by the locals, while his car can be seen in the background engulfed in fire. In another video, he can be seen lying on the ground without clothes.
Cops say he is lucky to have survived
One of the senior police officers said that, "Pant sustained injuries on his forehead, hand, and right knee. However, he is conscious and able to talk. The car he was driving was completely burned. He is lucky to survive the severe accident."
Update from BCCI
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah provided an update on India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, who met with a car accident early on Friday morning near Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
Shah revealed the extent of the injury and also promised all help to the injured cricketer.
"Rishabh was admitted to Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre where he was treated for impact injuries," Shah said in a statement on the BCCI's official website.
Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant injured in a major accident, car collides with divider catches fire; visuals surface |
What did doctors say?
According to ESPNcricinfo, Dr Sushil Nagar, who treated Pant in emergency, said the cricketer's main injuries are on his "forehead and knee." "The first X-rays suggest there is no fracture and there are no burns on Pant's body despite his car catching fire," it said.
"Pant has two lacerative wounds on his forehead, one right above the left eye; there is a ligament tear in the knee; and abrasions on his back."
Current condition
According to Delhi and District Cricket Asscoctiaon President Rohan Jaitley, Pant's condition is out of danger.
Officials react
"We are all concerned but thankfully he is stable. We at DDCA are keeping a tab and wish him a speedy recovery," Delhi and District DDCA secretary Siddharth Sahib Singh said in a statement.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said his government will bear the entire expense of Pant's treatment.
Dhami spoke to officials to get an update on the cricketer's condition and asked them to make all arrangements for his treatment. Arrangements for an air ambulance should also be made if required, he said.
Recent performance
The wicketkeeper-batsman 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.
Pant was left out of the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka beginning on January 3 as 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.
Pant has scored 2,271 runs in 33 Tests so far with the help of five hundreds and 11 fifties. He has also represented the country in 30 ODIs and 66 T20Is.
Not included in squad for ODI and T20 squad against Sri Lanka
Earlier, Pant was not included in either the ODI or the T20I squad and the BCCI media release didn't clarify if he was injured, rested or dropped.
The wicketkeeper-batter didn't feature in the ODIs in Bangladesh as well before returning for the two-match Test series.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
