A top BCCI official, who is the point person in touch with the board's medical experts, said Pant's ligament tear is similar to the one that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja suffered last year. (PTI) The need for an urgent surgery on one of the two knee ligaments that Rishabh Pant tore during the road accident on December 30 was the main reason why the Indian cricket board airlifted him from Dehradun to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai Wednesday, The Indian Express has learnt.
It’s also learnt that given the nature of the injuries, Pant is expected to take “more than four months” to recover and about six months to return to the pitch. This means the star wicketkeeper-batsman will miss the white-ball series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, the home Test series against Australia and the IPL.
A top BCCI official, who is the point person in touch with the board’s medical experts, said Pant’s ligament tear is similar to the one that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja suffered last year.
“Every player’s body is different but looking at his (Pant) report, our doctors say the ligament injury is like the one Jadeja suffered. As per the reports we received from Dehradun, we were told that Pant would need surgery as early as possible. It looks like he will take more than four months to recover,” the official told The Indian Express.
“The World Test Championship final is in England in June. So if India qualifies for that, realistically, that’s what we are aiming for,” the official said on Pant’s return to the team. India is currently second on the Test championship table behind Australia.
Rishabh Pant was involved in an accident in Uttarakhand on Friday morning (Source: AP)
Pant’s shift to Mumbai was also because the BCCI was keen that their panel of doctors conduct a full-body MRI scan on him as a precautionary measure to rule out further complications.
Disclosing details of the move, the official said: “BCCI secretary Jay Shah spoke to Rishabh’s mother and made her understand that it would be best for him if he is treated by the BCCI’s medical team in Mumbai. Once the family was on the same page as us, we arranged for an air ambulance to bring him to Mumbai.”
In a press release, meanwhile, Jay Shah said, “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.”
Detailing the expected line of treatment, another BCCI official said Pant will undergo a fresh MRI scan of his knee, ligament, spine, backbone and head. The all-format player will be under the direct supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, Head of the Centre for Sports Medicine and Director of Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at the Ambani hospital. Pardiwala is also on the BCCI’s panel of doctors. Indian board physiotherapist Nitin Patel will also monitor Pant’s situation.
When contacted, BCCI secretary Shah told The Indian Express that the board will provide all help needed. “Rishabh is a very important player and we have been closely monitoring his situation…The BCCI will take care of Pant’s medical expenses and provide all help,” Shah said.
The spate of visitors that Pant had been receiving in Dehradun was another reason for the hospital switch.
Pant had suffered multiple injuries when his car had collided with a road divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway last Friday. The 25-year-old, who was going from Delhi to his home in Uttarakhand’s Roorkee, was first taken to a local hospital before being shifted to Dehradun.
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