According to media sources, Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant is in “good spirits” and recovering from surgery following his horrific vehicle incident, although he will most likely miss the forthcoming Test series against Australia.
The renowned wicketkeeper-batsman was traveling alone from New Delhi to his hometown Roorkee, a few hours north of the Indian capital when his Mercedes SUV went into the median before dawn on Friday.
His automobile quickly took fire, and the 25-year-old was saved on the highway by a bus driver and conductor.
Pant “is in high spirits and responding well to treatment… He underwent plastic surgery on his left eyebrow where he suffered a cut in the accident,” Shyam Sharma of the Delhi and District Cricket Association told The Times of India.
The cricketer also suffered a ligament injury in his right knee, hurt his wrist, and ankle, and has abrasion injuries on his back, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement.
Sharma said the BCCI was monitoring Pant’s treatment and was in “constant touch” with his medical team.
“As far as the ligament injury in his right knee is concerned, he will take some time to recover. He will be provided the best possible treatment,” he added.
A BCCI staffer quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency said Pant faced a prolonged absence from competitive cricket and would likely miss the four-Test Australia series at home starting February 9.
A maverick batsman, Pant is the mainstay of the Test squad and has played a key role in some of India’s most memorable wins in the last three years.
But his white-ball form has been inconsistent lately and Pant was left out of the squad for the T20 and ODI tour by Sri Lanka starting next week.
The wicketkeeper’s absence came just days after his match-winning 93-run innings in the second Test against Bangladesh, which helped India earn a 2-0 series triumph.
Fans and members of India’s cricket fraternity were shocked by the news and wished Pant a swift recovery.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sadness at the disaster and prayed for Pant’s health on Friday.
Bus driver Sushil Kumar and his conductor, who assisted Pant in getting out of his automobile, have been praised as heroes for their actions in the aftermath of the near-fatal incident.
