Abhinav Bindra, who won India's first individual gold medal in the Olympics, has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to provide "psychological support" to injured India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in his recovery post a horrific car accident.
As per a BCCI statement on Wednesday, Pant is set to undergo surgery and subsequent procedures for ligament tears at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai, for which he was airlifted from Max Hospital, Dehradun.
At the hospital in Mumbai, Pant will be under the direct supervision of eminent sports surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala.
"Wonderful that the board is looking after Rishabh's recovery. Must also provide psychological support as part of the healing and recovery process!" tweeted Bindra, one of only two Indians apart from Javelin Throw star Neeraj Chopra to win an individual Olympics gold medal. Bindra won gold in 10m air rifle competition in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
On December 30, early in the morning, Pant, 25, suffered multiple injuries when his car collided with a road divider and caught fire on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. The horrific car accident happened between Manglaur and Narsan in the Haridwar district in the state of Uttarakhand.
Pant was initially taken to Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre, before being admitted to Max Hospital, Dehradun. He was on his way to his hometown Roorkee from New Delhi and was driving his Mercedes car.
As per a statement by the BCCI hours after the accident on December 30, Pant, the left-handed batter, has suffered two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back after the car accident.
Later in the evening, a medical bulletin said the results of Pant's MRI of the brain and spine came out as normal. It added that Pant also underwent plastic surgery to manage his facial injuries, lacerated wounds and abrasions.
Pant, who made his international cricket debut in February 2017, was part of the India Test squad that sealed a 2-0 series victory over Bangladesh in Dhaka in December 2022.
In that match which ended on December 25, he hit a match-winning 93 in the first innings of the second Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
