Rishabh Pant accident: Cricketer wanted to surprise mother on New Year
Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant was on his way home to surprise his mother on New Year when he met with the horrific accident early on Friday.
As Pant’s Mercedes-Benz hit a road divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway and went up in flames, he broke a window and jumped out just in the nick of time. The star wicketkeeper-batter was lucky to escape without any major injuries, thanks to his agility.
Dr Sushil Nagar, who was the first to attend to Pant in the emergency ward of Saksham Hospital near Roorkee, said the cricketer did not suffer any fracture but there is a ligament injury on his knee which would require further investigation.
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“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.
No burns, says doctor
Pant suffered big bruises on his back, but Nagar said those were not burn injuries. “The injuries happened because he jumped out of the car by breaking the window 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 accident happened at Mohammadpur Jat in Manglaur town of Hardiwar district. The 25-year-old dozed off on the wheel and lost control of his car on the way to his home in Roorkee. He was alone in the car.
“He had two lacerations (blunt trauma) on his head but I did not 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.
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“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.
Question mark over matches
Ligament injuries have various grades, and it can take two to six 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 wicketkeeper-batter has scored 2,271 runs in 33 Tests so far with five centuries and 11 half-centuries. He has also represented the country in 30 ODIs and 66 T20Is, scoring 865 and 987 runs, respectively.
(With agency inputs)
