Rishabh Pant has been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai, after being airlifted from Dehradun earlier today, for immediate intervention on one of the two ligament tears in his knee. He was examined by doctors upon reaching the Mumbai hospital on Wednesday evening, and was in a stable condition.
“Rishabh will undergo surgery and subsequent procedures for ligament tears and will continue to be monitored by the BCCI Medical Team throughout his recovery and rehabilitation,” the BCCI said in a statement on Wednesday. “The Board will make every effort to aid and expedite the recovery process of Rishabh and will provide him with all the support he needs during this period.”
In Mumbai, Pant will be under the care of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, who has previously worked with Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, as well as with other athletes. Pardiwala is Head – the Centre for Sports Medicine, and Director – Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri, a Mumbai suburb.
The BCCI, while appreciative of the immediate treatment given to Pant at the two hospitals in Uttarakhand, preferred to have his injuries treated by the board’s own empanelled medical team. While Pant’s medical insurance covers his treatment, the cost of the air ambulance was borne by the board.
Pant hasn’t had MRI scans for his leg injuries yet, but after two-three rounds of meetings between the BCCI panel doctors and the doctors at Max Hospital in Dehradun, the assessment was that one of the tears needed urgent treatment.
On December 30, Pant was on his way to see his mother in Roorkee in Uttarakhand, when his car crashed into a road divider around 5.30am. He miraculously got away without life-threatening injuries even as his car went up in flames.
After immediate emergency care at Saksham Hospital in Roorkee, Pant was moved to Max Hospital in Dehradun, where he had plastic surgery on the laceration wounds, facial injuries and abrasions. MRI scans done on his brain and spine that evening returned normal results, but scans of the knee and foot were postponed because of pain and swelling.
It is too early to put a timeframe on Pant’s return to athletic activity and then top-flight cricket. He hasn’t started walking yet. India’s three big assignments in 2023 are the four Tests against Australia at home in February-March, a possible World Test Championship final in England in June, and the ODI World Cup in India in October-November. Pant’s chances of playing the Test series against Australia appear to be slim, though it can’t be ruled out. The other big event is the IPL, in April-May, where Pant captains Delhi Capitals. (Cricinfo)
